Chapter 36

"Once we're all healed up I think we're gonna' go lookin' for a place to make a den." Nora declared. "Running around and doing missions and all is fun - really fun sometimes - but I wanna' settle down and start a family. I like this place a lot, everyone's so nice."

"Given our recent injuries, I doubt Ozpin would oppose our choice." Ren added. "Plus, the lasting effects of our injuries would limit our capabilities."

"We'd have to get jobs though." Nora sighed. "Like normal person jobs."

"You could always serve as Huntsmen." Pyrrha suggested. "The island can't have too many."

"And I'm sure your skills could be useful in other jobs too." Ruby chimed in. "You're great trackers, so you could hunt, and you're really strong, lotsa' jobs need strength. Ooh, maybe you could help the islanders get along better with the spriggans!"

Ren heaved a heavy sigh and Nora's face screwed up in pain. "I don't think they want anything to do with us." She seemed to shrink in on herself. "They betrayed us."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "They helped us, didn't they?"

"They told us where to find Cinder, true." Ren allowed. "But they failed to warn us about her companions, Mercury in particular."

"And he did this to us." Nora's voice warbled with anger and despair as tears welled in her eyes. "They knew what would happen."

"Maybe they didn't know." Pyrrha countered. "Or they didn't fully understand the situation."

"They knew." Nora growled through gritted teeth. "They know everything that happens in the forest. And even if they didn't think Mercury would attack us, he had to go through their domain to do so. They could have stopped him or warned us, but they didn't."

"Maybe there's more to it than that." Ruby soothed. "There could have been stuff going on we don't know about."

"There's only one way to know for sure." Nora huffed. "I have to ask them. I have to know for sure."

"Once your eyes heal-" Pyrrha started.

"My eyes aren't going to heal!" Nora shouted. "They're not getting any better! And I want them to see, I want them to see what they've done to us!"

"When Glynda gets back I'll talk to her about it." Pyrrha sighed. "She'll probably want to go as well. I'm sure she has some of the same questions."

"Fine." Nora crossed her arms across her chest. "What are we gonna' do until then?"

"It's almost dinnertime, so I suppose Ruby and I should begin preparing the meal." Pyrrha replied.

"I can help if you need an extra set of hands." Ren offered.

"Only if I can come down to the kitchen with you." Nora insisted.

"You'll have to get dressed first." Ren noted.

"Oh fine, I'll put clothes on." Nora threw off the blanket to reveal her nude body. "Dress me!"

"We'll just go ahead and get started." Pyrrha blocked the view with her hand, standing and ushering Ruby out the door.

"Why don't you wanna' look at Nora when she's naked?" Ruby asked as the pair walked down the hall. "She's beautiful."

"She is, but nudity...it's embarrassing." Pyrrha tried to explain.

"She doesn't seem embarrassed." Ruby observed.

"I'm sure she isn't, but I am." Pyrrha began descending the stairs.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"It's...hard to explain." Pyrrha sighed. "Modesty is important to humans, and standing naked before someone has...certain connotations. I'm just not comfortable with it."

"Oh...huh…" Ruby responded. "So what are we having for dinner?"

"I'm not sure, maybe-" Pyrrha started.

With a whoosh, a rush of air filled the hallway. Pyrrha could feel a surge of void energy in the living room. Glynda had returned. Followed closely by Ruby, Pyrrha rushed to meet her, stopped short by the sight before her. Glynda and Blake - who looked more annoyed than when she had left, and departed without a word - were there as expected, but there was something else...someone else. Pyrrha opened her mouth as if to speak but could think of no words.

"Pyrrha, Ruby." Glynda greeted with a smile. "This is my daughter, Ilia."

The creature standing before them - if standing was an accurate descriptor - cowered by Glynda's side, clinging to the witch's arm with a slight tremble, bright blue eyes staring wide back at them. From the waist up she was a seemingly normal looking teenage girl - perhaps sixteen by Pyrrha's estimation - with pale brown skin, freckles dotting her arms and face in even patterns. Her tangled hair was brown, pulled back into a loose ponytail and tied with what looked like a bit of vine, revealing slightly pointed ears. Were it not for them and the slitted reptilian pupils, she may have passed for a regular human.

From the waist down, however, things were very different. A mass of scales began at her hips, as her body transitioned into the lengthy tail of a snake. The scales were a deeper, gleaming brown, contrasting with the tan of her...belly, so to speak. It was as if a giant serpent has begun swallowing her whole. But Pyrrha knew better. This was no victim, this was a lamia. There was a lamia in her home, and Glynda claimed her as her daughter.

"Um...hello, I'm Pyrrha, Glynda's apprentice." She introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you." She offered a smile, though an uneasy one.

Glynda noticed Pyrrha's discomfort. "I'm sure you have many questions, and I'll answer them in due course."

"Hi, I'm Ruby!" She cheered. The lamia flinched at her exclamation. "I've never met a lamia before."

"Ilia, there's nothing to be afraid of, say hello." Glynda encouraged.

"H-hello." Ilia managed.

Ruby approached, viewing Ilia from the side. The lamia shuffled in an attempt to better hide herself behind Glynda. "Your tail looks really cool." Ruby enthused. "Can I touch it?"

"Ruby-" Pyrrha tried to step in.

Ilia hesitated, looking to Glynda, who offered an encouraging nod. "O-okay." The lamia allowed.

Ruby knelt down and gently ran her hand across the scales on top of Ilia's tail. "Ooh, it's so smooth."

"I apologize for leaving so suddenly." Glynda said as Ruby stood up and returned to Pyrrha's side. "I'm sure you were worried. Ilia's mother has a crystal linked to mine, and she indicated that the family was in danger, so there was no time to waste. It turns out Ilia here has developed an affinity for magic, something her family was unable to properly handle. As a result, she will be living here for the foreseeable future."

"You can do magic too?" Ruby quirked her brow. "Awesome!"

Before Glynda could offer any further explanation, Ren and Nora descended the stairs, joining the group in the living room. Ilia hid behind the witch with renewed unease. "I smell someone new." Nora noted after sniffing the air. "Who is it?"

"My daughter Ilia." Glynda answered.

Nora did her best to look, staring at the girl with unfocused eyes. "You have a brown blob daughter!"

"Close, but not quite." Glynda rolled her eyes. "She's a lamia."

"Oh, I thought something smelled tasty." Nora grinned.

Ilia whined and hid behind Glynda. "Shhh, it's okay my dear." Glynda soothed. "She's only joking...poorly."

"My apologies." Ren bowed. "We're being impolite. I'm Lie Ren, and she is Nora Valkyrie. We're werewolves, currently under Glynda's medical care."

"They may look intimidating, and Nora can be loud, but you need not fear them." Glynda noted. "Now, I believe it's about time for dinner. Pyrrha and Ruby, if you'd be so kind as to prepare the meal, I'll take Ilia up to meet Dew and take a bath, and to show her where she'll be sleeping. It's already late, so we'll leave setting up a proper nest until tomorrow."

"Does...um...does Ilia have any special dietary concerns?" Pyrrha asked.

"Lamia are omnivores, and anything safe for a human should be safe for her." Glynda replied. "I think meat of some kind would be the best option."

Pyrrha nodded. "Okay, extra meat."

"Alright, Ilia, the bath is upstairs." Glynda indicated, pointing to the staircase. "Let's...oh...can you climb stairs?" Ilia looked at the stairs for a moment before nodding. Rather than slithering side to side, she rippled the underside of her tail, to move across the floor. On reaching the stairs she leaned back. Her tail bunched up on each successive step as she smoothly ascended. It was at once strange and beautiful to behold. Glynda quickly followed, though it seemed Ilia was happy enough to be away from Nora.

Pyrrha gazed at the stairs for a moment after Glynda and Ilia had disappeared from view. "I...did not at all foresee this."

When Glynda and Ilia joined the others in the dining room, the lamia was thankfully wearing one of the witch's old sweatshirts. Ilia's breasts lacked nipples, but seeing her bare-chested still filled Pyrrha with embarrassment. In addition to the clothing, the lamia's hair was now tied back into a ponytail that was neater than before, and far less tangled than it had been. She seemed much more at ease with her new surroundings and the people in it, though dinner was somewhat awkward.

Ilia hesitated to begin eating, and Pyrrha briefly feared the food looked or smelled unappealing to her, but the lamia soon began what was clearly a shaky imitation of human dining, using utensils and cutting her steak into bite-sized pieces, but not chewing them. Pyrrha did get a good look at Ilia's teeth. They appeared mostly human, except for a pair of fangs that were longer than even a vampire's. It was hard to judge from Ilia's reactions whether or not she enjoyed the food, but she did eat everything served to her. Perhaps she was malnourished, or simply did not wish to appear ungrateful.

After the meal, Glynda took Ilia to relax in the living room. The lamia clung to her mother's hand, pressing herself into Glynda's side as she sat in an armchair. The others took the couch opposite, Nora almost sitting on Ruby in the process. As the witch surely expected, the others followed. She decided to get the most obvious ones out of the way herself. "Now, I'm sure you're all abuzz with questions. Yes, Ilia is my daughter, yes she happens to be a lamia. There is a reasonable explanation behind her existence." Glynda began. "Seventeen years ago, I found myself researching a number of creatures, and found that there was very little information on the lamia, and that little happened to be biased, and in retrospect, incredibly inaccurate."

Ilia's narrow, snake-like tongue flicked out, her wide blue eyes darting between the four listeners.

"To correct this, Blake and I tracked down a lamia." Glynda continued. "I played the part of a helpless damsel, and when she took the bait, Blake restrained her. Looking back, the whole endeavor was rather harsh on Ilia's mother. She was terrified, forced to listen as I explained my plan. I wished to experience a lamia's life cycle, to be impregnated, and carry her young to term, so I may study and document the process. We offered food as a token of our good will, with the promise of more to come. Should she agree, I would become a willing partner, one who could keep both her and her children safe, her location secure, and provide food consistently. If she refused, her only alternative would be to capture an unwilling victim, something that would put her and her children at risk." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "She did not take long to agree."

"That sounds rather...coercive." Ren noted.

"It was, however at the time my outlook was decidedly...scientific." Glynda admitted. "This was an experiment, a journey for knowledge. The relationship, the family did not interest me." She sighed, softly stroking Ilia's hand with her free one. Ilia's eyes grew lidded, her gaze less jittery. "Regardless, over the succeeding months we had plenty of time to grow familiar. The lamia's name was Cillia, and with some prying I was able to learn about her life to that point, and gain new perspective on the lamia way of life, one no one had ever documented before...but it wasn't until I...gave birth, for lack of a better term, that my view started to change. There were seven eggs-"

"Seven?" Pyrrha gasped, staring at Glynda's belly.

"Yes, seven." Glynda confirmed, her hand subconsciously laying over her belly, a small smile on her face. That smile faded quickly, her expression downcast. "Unfortunately, only five hatched...and not long after I...we, lost one of our hatchlings...it...was the tipping point. Long had my feelings on the matter been steeped in science, but along the way I had become a mother. These hatchlings, Ilia…"

Glynda reached back to gently caress the lamia's face, who nuzzled into the contact with a content smile. "They were my children, and I loved them...I stayed for several months longer, but it was clear that my presence was a cause of tension." Wiping her eyes, Glynda schooled her expression once more. "Cillia trusts me, of that I'm sure, but lamia tend to be solitary creatures. My human meddling risked disrupting the natural rearing process...I fashioned a beacon, to summon me in times of need."

The witch pulled her necklace free, holding it for all to see. "Yellow for illness, red for danger, among other things...the first warning came not long after my departure. Ilia fell gravely ill, and I fought long and hard to cure her...I feel I was more relieved than Cillia. Lamia are far more pragmatic about their young. We humans however are far more attached. I was proud to have saved my daughter, and prouder still that Ilia survived."

Glynda smiled at Ilia, and the lamia smiled back. "Over the years my visits were rare, though no more emergencies occurred." Glynda went on. "As it happens, Ilia has developed an affinity for magic. Lamia have no experience with the subject, so Cillia was unprepared to deal with the situation, and her sisters were troubled. Today she accidently set the nest on fire."

Ilia huffed, burying her face in the chair's armrest. Glynda chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind her pointy ear. "It was quickly extinguished, but it became clear that Ilia needed someone who could help her understand and properly harness her magic, or the situation would only worsen. That is why I have brought her here. Once she can properly control her abilities, Ilia will be free to choose if she wishes to stay, or leave." Ilia peeked back up, gazing at her mother, who stared right back, a gentle smile on her face. "I think that about covers it."

"I have...so many more questions." Pyrrha noted.

"I'm sure." Glynda nodded. "Unfortunately it's already late, and I haven't even begun preparing Ilia's nest." She stood, the lamia following suit, keeping a tight grip on her hand. "If you'd rather not wait for answers, you could always read my book." She walked over to a bookcase against the wall and pulled out a nondescript tome. After freeing her hand from Ilia's, she ducked down and pulled a notebook from the bottom shelf. "I suspect my notes would help as well. Blake also illustrated certain scenes, and she's just as good an artist as Ruby. It seems all aspects share that talent."

Glynda handed the books to Pyrrha, who stared at the covers, hesitating to open either. "This is-"

"Shocking, I know." Glynda interrupted. "I'm sure this is a lot to take in so suddenly. We can talk more tomorrow." She turned her attention back to Ilia. "Will you be alright going to your room on your own? I have to get a few things from the basement." Ilia nodded and headed up the stairs. "Ruby, would you be so kind as to help me. There's nothing heavy, just a few...unwieldy items."

"Sure." Ruby agreed, jumping to her feet.

Ruby followed Glynda down to the basement. There the witch opened a portal into what appeared to be a normal, if cluttered, room. Inside were a number of items, mostly random odds and ends that the average person would keep in a shed or attic. Glynda gathered a number of blankets and furs, directing Ruby to collect a few pillows. Ruby carried it all, draped across her shoulders and tucked under her arms. Glynda did not leave empty-handed however. She carried a mattress, following Ruby out of the portal which closed behind them. They brought they assorted items up to the attic where Ilia was waiting.

"It's just a start, but tomorrow we can work on it more." Glynda explained as Ruby laid the items out on the floor. "For tonight, just try to get the room comfortable enough to sleep in." Ilia nodded and set about arranging the items, mostly in the corners and edges of the room. "Thank you for your help Ruby."

"You're welcome!" Ruby cheered. She headed downstairs, giving Glynda and Ilia some privacy. She was just in time to see Ren and Nora heading into their room, and bid them goodnight before heading down to the living room. Pyrrha was still staring at the books. "Are you okay?"

"Truthfully, no." Pyrrha admitted. "I thought I knew Glynda well, but it seems there's much more to her than she told me."

"Maybe you just never asked the right questions." Ruby suggested, sitting on the couch beside Pyrrha.

"That's what's bothering me." Pyrrha sighed. "I fear I was too focused on what knowledge Glynda could offer, and not enough on her as a person. It was selfish of me."

"Of all people, I'm sure you weren't being selfish." Ruby assured her. "Everyone has their secrets right?"

"I suppose so." Pyrrha allowed, managing a smile. "Now, if only I could work up the courage to read these."

"Why do you need courage for that?" Ruby inquired.

"Remember our discussion of nudity and modesty?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby nodded. "The reasons are similar...and just as difficult to explain."