The sun was barely up, the air holding a cool blue color as the celestial shadow began to cast across the earth. Kon-Mai was already up, making slow rounds through the dimly lit hallways. Dhar-Mon's snoring could be heard across the hallway from where his room was located. And in a strange and unusual turn of events, Gur-Rai was awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed. He strolled into the infirmary, a whistle on his lips. "Oh, good morning, Doctor!"
Tygan seemed to glare at him. "It is morning, yes." His voice sounded tired. Most of the lights were off except the ones around a few specific beds and Tygan's very, very messy desk. A half-full cup of coffee teetered precariously on the edge of the desk.
"You look like you just got mindfucked by a Priest." Gur-Rai chuckled. "I've been there~"
"I did not." Tygan grimaced with a look of disgust. "I had a late night, is all."
"Doin' what?" The Darkstrider leaned over Tygan's desk, reading over his work. Tygan quickly pulled his papers away, glaring at Gur-Rai like a cat.
"That is below your paygrade, Darkstrider." Tygan muttered.
"Oh Tygan, you know your secrets are safe with me~" Gur-Rai winked.
"I do not believe you." Tygan stood up. "If you must know I had several patients come in last night so I am already behind on my work."
"Aren't your nurses supposed to do that?" Gur-Rai asked.
"Do not talk badly of them. They help." Tygan answered. "But they need their sleep."
"Yes. But so do you." Gur-Rai took a few worried steps towards him. "Does the Commander know you're up all-"
"Why are you here, Darkstrider?" Tygan asked.
Gur-Rai seemed to deflate, but only for a moment. "I actually came to see our strange lil Sectoid patient." He crossed his arms. "If he's still alive."
"Oh he's alive." Tygan nodded. "I've been trying to get some answers out of him but the painkillers affect Sectoids...strangely." He made a face. "We must wait for them to wear off before we'll be able to speak with him."
"Well, where is he?" Gur-Rai looked around in an exaggerated motion. "Can I see him?"
Tygan seemed to hesitate a moment. "...Fine." He beckoned him over to a bed that was far out of the way, in a small, darker corner. "I put him here because the other patients were gawking."
"Can't have people gawking." Gur-Rai nodded. "It's quite rude."
Verge the Sectoid. Gur-Rai smiled slightly as he sat beside his bed. Already, around the painkiller induced malaise and the gunshot wounds, he could tell this Sectoid was...different.
"He has lips." He mused.
"Hm?" Tygan looked over Gur-Rai's shoulder. "Oh. Yes, he does."
Gur-Rai's hand strayed to Verge's fingers. Long and spindly, but strong. Five on each hand. Wrinkly knuckles. Very human. As he touched them, Verge whimpered a strange noise, and almost seemed to lean toward Gur-Rai. The Darkstrider patted his arm and Verge noticeably relaxed.
"I like this Sectoid." Gur-Rai said.
"Well, I sincerely hope he reciprocates the feelings." Tygan scoffed. "It'll be easier to get him to talk."
"Interrogating him so soon?" Gur-Rai chuckled.
The deep quiet that followed was broken only by the ticking of the clock and the gentle clinking of Tygan's tools. It made them both anxious.
As he waited, Gur-Rai passed the time doing what he always did when he was bored: picking at that one scab on his hand he never let heal. Maybe he'd get a tattoo over it someday. Now that he wasn't in the Elders' care anymore, and now that he wouldn't be restored to factory settings after every major fight, a tattoo might actually be fun! Well not fun to get. But creative, something to show he truly was his own man now.
Verge made a strange noise, and Gur-Rai snapped out of his trance, looking down at the strange Sectoid. At first he didn't move and Gur-Rai assumed he'd imagined it, but then Verge reached up and began rubbing his black eyes, blinking in the bright light.
"Well, well, well." Gur-Rai chuckled. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Verge startled noticeably and scooted away, as far away as he could in bed. He winced, his hand moving to touch the holes in his chest.
"No need for that. I'm unarmed." He tucked his arms behind his back. "See?"
Verge groaned. "Your...attempt at humor does not console me…" His voice was quiet, but his English was fluent.
Gur-Rai raised a brow. "You can talk AND write? However did you learn that trick?"
Verge took a shattering breath and shook with the very effort of it. "I learned...from the humans."
Gur-Rai sat on the edge of his bed. "You are quite the impressive Sectoid, Verge~"
"Why do you keep calling me that…?" Verge mumbled.
"That's your name."
"It is not." Verge shook his head. "I have no name."
"Then why did you write it in the dirt?"
Verge sighed, then broke out into a fit of coughing. "I was trying-" He inhaled, deeply, and nearly choked.
"Hey, hey, gently." Gur-Rai said. "Gently now."
"I was writing... 3." Verge grumbled. "That is my designation number."
"Well that's boring." Gur-Rai scoffed. "Can you imagine if the Elders just handed me a 'designation number' and sent me on my way? I wouldn't be the godlike creature you see before you today~"
Verge finally turned to face him fully. "You are...different." He whispered. "You are their son."
"So are you." Gur-Rai growled. "They were just more overt with their bullshit when it came to you."
Verge's eyes grew slightly wide.
"Oh, do you not know?" Gur-Rai smiled. "I handed in my resignation. XCOM gave me a better offer and I took it."
Verge relaxed significantly. "XCOM? Where...am I?"
"You are on the famous Avenger!" Gur-Rai said with flair, extending his arms in a sweeping motion. "Don't worry, this is just one room. There's a lot more too it~"
"Then I was not recaptured." His soft, agonized voice finally sounded joyous. "I made it…"
"Of course you made it, you little oaf." Gur-Rai smirked. "ADVENT would have let you die."
"That is...certainly true. But to be fair, I have been vividly hallucinating all morning."
"Never knew pain meds had that effect of Sectoids."
"We are expendable." Verge sighed. "There was never a need for it."
"Well you aren't expendable anymore." Gur-Rai assured him. "And now that you're awake, maybe I can get the Commander to come talk to you."
.
.
On the banks of the Aquiqui river, there she sat.
Assassin. Shrinemaiden. Many names she had. Many titles. Mordenna. Kon-Mai. There were others. What else?
The shriek of a child from the nearby resistance heaven sent her spiraling back into consciousness, and she opened her eyes and sat forward, head in her hands. Perhaps if she just stopped trying so hard to relax, then the peace of meditation would finally come to her.
The settlement here was, surprisingly, a large one. The people in Aquiqui had been mostly isolated from the initial invasion. And while ADVENT left no stone unturned, it was hard enough to get down the deep banks of the river, and through the thickly laid jungle, that these people were relatively well protected. In fact, they had at first insisted they didn't need an XCOM patrol and were almost outright hostile, especially when they saw Kon-Mai and her brothers.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear: Kon-Mai heard a cough behind her and turned to see Dhar-Mon, standing tall behind her with his arms crossed, as though he was trying to look intimidating. However, the expression on his face was more curious.
"What are you doing in this place?" He inquired.
"I am meditating." She sighed. "Or I am...attempting to meditate."
He raised a bare brow. "Why are you meditating?"
"It helps me organize my thoughts when they are in chaos."
"Are your thoughts in chaos now, Sister?" Dhar-Mon stepped up so he stood beside where she sat.
She thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose they are seeing as I cannot seem to get my mind to stop racing along the wind." She leapt to her feet. She hated to leave so soon but it was clear peace was not coming to her today.
"What troubles you?" He sounded so genuinely concerned.
She shook her head. "I wish I could remember. My memory was always dependent on the chip, moreso than I first thought. Now that it is gone, I feel the rot of memories I had within the Elder's grasp. And in turn, I fear old wounds are reopening…" She paused, the silence hanging over them as Dhar-Mon pondered her words. She met his gaze. "Why are you out here, Brother?"
"Malinalli and I were going to train, but she was...called." He pouted. "She has patients that need tending."
Kon-Mai giggled. "Well, I'm sure she will not forget you, Brother. You are her favorite after all~"
She saw Dhar-Mon blush noticeably, and he stayed silent. She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer, but his thoughts seemed to be occupied.
"You are mad, Brother." She chuckled.
"I'm not." He looked puzzled. "Why would I be angry, Sister?"
"I do not mean angry." She tapped his arm, indicating for him to follow her as she began to walk. "I mean you have lost your sanity."
He seemed to ponder this as he followed her back onto the slightly battered grass that resembled a trail. "My sanity...yes. I wonder if I ever had such a thing…"
Kon-Mai sighed, nodding in agreement as the two turned and began walking further away from the village. Spending life since "birth" under the Elders meant her own point of reference was iffy at best, and she'd always been the "normal" one of her siblings.
For Dhar-Mon, "sane" had a very different meaning. When he was "sane," he'd spend hours praising the Elders' names, but he could see now that that behavior was far from rational. The Elders had told them it was the humans who had no faculties, it was the rebels who had lost their minds in defying their rule. Now...what did it mean to be "sane?"
"How do you feel then, Brother?" She asked. "When you think about her, I mean?"
"I feel sweet and light." He smiled so genuinely. "I want to tell the world her name. Any little thing she does, brings me such joy to see. When she laughs, it rivals the most magical song."
Kon-Mai chuckled. "You should ask Gur-Rai for help with this. I must admit I have no experience with love."
Dhar-Mon stopped. "Love?"
She thought for a moment. "From the way you describe your feelings for her, Dhar-Mon, I would hasten to say you feel romantic desire for her." She met his gaze. "That you desire a future with her."
He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was silence. He crossed his arms, huffing. "What future would I have, Sister, that could ever involve a human like her?"
"I don't know." She admitted. "...What DO you think the future holds?"
.
.
Verge tugged on his hospital gown. How he wished he could take it off, but Tygan had dissuaded such action. He claimed it would "scare the soldiers." He did not understand why. Many humans had seen him without clothes.
"And I bet they were scared of you." Gur-Rai said, leaning against the wall beside Verge's bed.
"Could you read my thoughts?" Verge asked, his expression hopeful.
"Didn't need to, it was written on your face." Gur-Rai hopped up and sat cross legged on the end of Verge's bed, taking out his pistol and playing with the rounds. Verge began to scoot away, flinching with every noise the gun made, and Gur-Rai stopped and quickly put the weapon away.
"What, don't like guns?" He chuckled.
"I have never liked them..." Verge admitted. "Sectoids aren't trained with guns."
"Seriously?" Gur-Rai sputtered. "The Elders truly have fallen far since losing the Commander. They don't even train their soldiers." He leaned forward. "Or WERE you a soldier, Verge?"
"I specialized in espionage." Verge said, laying back against the pillow. "In the early years of the ADVENT Empire I was in charge of consolidating the minor governments, making them...bend to us."
"Psionics, then. Like my brother." Gur-Rai leaned back on his hands. "I think you two would get along."
"I am unsure about that." Verge admitted. "Your brother seems quite...eccentric."
"Well...okay, fair. But he's gotten a lot better since we left ADVENT." Gur-Rai admitted. "He can actually talk to people now without yelling! Mostly."
Verge seemed to stare at him with those big black eyes. Gur-Rai met his gaze and smirked, causing Verge to falter just a bit.
"And you want to say something." Gur-Rai mused.
"Yes." Verge gripped at the blankets, and it became clear to Gur-Rai that even out of the grips of ADVENT, the Sectoid was still scared of the Darkstrider. "...Why did you leave?"
Gur-Rai snorted. "You mean leave ADVENT? Why NOT leave? They don't pay us half of what we deserve, they have shitty benefits, they're evil tyrannical monsters who slaughter all within their path…" He chuckled, but his voice was heavy and cold.
Verge looked up at him again, waiting for him to continue the thought.
"Well, why did YOU leave?" Gur-Rai asked. "YOU are a Sectoid. A literal genetically-bred slave. You're not even supposed to have higher cognitive functions."
"Yes, Madron, I realize that." Verge snapped.
"Well, you certainly have attitude." Gur-Rai smiled. "And you wear it quite nicely."
"At this point, I am not sure if this is an interrogation or a date." Verge grumbled.
"You've been on a date?" Gur-Rai asked in mild shock.
"Not I. But I have experienced them by proxy…" He trailed off. "In the minds of the people I controlled."
Suddenly it clicked. "You walked around in human suits?"
"Moreso I...remote controlled them with mind-melding." Verge seemed to have to force the words out. Speaking was painful. Gur-Rai wondered if that was a result of his injuries or...something else.
"You piloted them like drones." Gur-Rai nodded.
"I did." He fell quiet for a moment. "And when you spend that much time in the human brain...you realize they have something that the Elders don't have."
"And what is that?"
"Empathy." Verge said. "Humans can...feel the pain of others, without being hurt themselves. They see another human in distress and they help them."
"Not always." Gur-Rai mused.
"Not always. But in the majority of my time with them, they would." He stared at his spindly hands. "And I...I began to feel it too. Even when I was not human. I began to feel deep sadness for my fellow man."
"And then you became a real boy." Gur-Rai chuckled.
Verge stared at him blankly.
"That's a reference." Gur-Rai hopped off the bed. "And once that happened, ADVENT realized your brain wasn't working the way it used to, and you ran?"
"Not at first. This shift may have been gradual but I gained awareness before you were even born." Verge finally seemed to smile at that, especially when Gur-Rai looked surprised. "I was funneling information to various resistance groups through an...associate who was also working within ADVENT, but with a bit more freedom. I had to pretend like I was still brainless, but by consequence, the people above had no qualms about sharing confidential info around me."
"And then you'd let the resistance groups know." Gur-Rai nodded. "Clever."
"It was clever." Verge sighed. "Until they caught me."
"They were going to eventually."
"No, this one was my fault. I got too excited with the discovery. I was...careless."
"Well if it was that big, I'm sure it was worth dying over." Gur-Rai looked over to the clock. Half-passed three. He knew the Commander liked to sleep in but Hot Neptune…
"It was very time sensitive, and I'm not sure it's even worth sharing anymore…" Verge said back again.
"Well, if it's useless now, why don't you tell me?" Gur-Rai asked.
Verge looked away, obviously in hesitation.
"Hey." Gur-Rai gently nudged him. "Do you really think I'm gonna blab?"
Verge looked up, studying Gur-Rai with his eyes. "...Well...I discovered the whereabouts of Colonel-"
"Do not say Colonel Zhang."
"That is the man." Verge looked over at Gur-Rai. "...Why?"
Gur-Rai doubled over, laughing hysterically. "Oh, by Andromeda's brilliant asshole! That is amazing! That is just poetry!"
"What…?"
"We got your message!" Gur-Rai exclaimed. "Or, at least someone did! Nuwa Shen from the Black Market said one of her lil birds picked it up!"
"Black market…?" Verge looked confused. "Little birds?"
"You're not one of those birds, I take it." Gur-Rai shrugged. "Well, however you got out the message, it worked! Colonel Zhang is safe and sound on board this very ship."
Verge's face relaxed. "He is?"
Gur-Rai smirked. "I bet that's a load off your chest."
"It...it is." He nodded, smiling genuinely. "Thank you, Darkstrider."
As Gur-Rai opened his mouth to speak, the door to the infirmary opened.
"Sorry I'm so late!" A musical voice sang. Gur-Rai heard Verge gasped, and he himself gestured outward and bowed.
"V5R93, might I present Commander Senuna of XCOM."
"...Call me Verge." Was all he could muster.
.
.
Dhar-Mon had remained silent as they walked. Assassin was comfortable in silence by herself, but it always felt like Dhar-Mon was about to say something but stopping himself. The anticipation was killing her. She wished he would spit it out already.
He suddenly stopped, and she had to double back around to see him. "I have never thought about a future without the Elders." He admitted softly. "Before I met Malinalli, I was sure I was to claim this world as my kingdom. I would rule in their name, as I did from my stronghold, but even then I would not have to think. I would just know."
"And now we don't know." Kon-Mai nodded.
"What dreams do you have, Sister?" He asked her. "For our future?"
"Us." She said simply. "You, and me, and our brother." She sat down against a tree, looking up at the sky. "I imagine XCOM would still employ us for...however long we are needed. Perhaps I could teach the new recruits."
"Teach?" His face seemed to light up.
"Yes..." She cried, her eyes widening. "Dhar-Mon, you can teach psionics."
He straightened up, and for a moment she saw that arrogance her brother once held in his face. "Of course! They would be honored to learn from a true master such as myself. Why did I not think of that?" He looked down. "You are truly a genius, Sister."
"Perhaps you can begin with Gur-Rai." She giggled. "He certainly needs to practice the gift."
Dhar-Mon scoffed. "Gur-Rai has no appreciation for the gift. Not like me and you, Sister. I would much rather instruct you."
She felt herself blushing, and smirked. "Well then, Master Madron." She stood and dusted herself off. "Instruct me on the ways of a true warlock."
.
.
The Commander pulled up a chair beside the Sectoid. "How are you?"
Verge seemed to falter for a moment. "...Considering my recent encounter, I'd say I am doing fairly well. Though I am still full of holes." He sat up. "Commander, forgive me but I must know something. Colonel Zhang-"
"Yes, what about him?" Senuna giggled. "My, he's very popular among the aliens lately. How ironic."
"...Is he safe?"
"Yes." Senuna nodded. "Well...physically. Emotionally...that's another matter." She clapped and leaned forward. "But this meeting is not about Zhang, is it?"
Verge blinked as he met her gaze, and she laughed.
"Well, why else are you here?" She giggled. "You want to join XCOM, yes?"
"With all due respect, Madam." Verge said. "My main goal was to get away from the ADVENT troops chasing me with semi-automatics. I have never given thought to...joining your resistance."
"Oh, bullshit." Gur-Rai crossed his arms. "Verge here has been feeding info to the resistance groups! Maybe even us, who knows~"
"Really? That's impressive." Senuna's eyes sparkled. "We could definitely use someone with a skill like that."
Verge seemed to go pale. "...Please don't send me back." He whispered. "They will kill me if they ever see me again…"
Gur-Rai reached out and put a comforting hand on Verge's arm. "Don't worry, no one will send you back. You're safe right here. Right, Commander?"
Senuna looked irritated for a moment, like this had just destroyed the brilliant plan she was thinking of. Then she sighed. "No. That's fine. You may stay." Her eyes were slightly harsher behind the smile. "In that case, we could also use a psionic soldier that isn't at the mercy of Geist's whims."
Verge nodded. "In that sense I can be of service. I have seen much combat in my day."
"And now you have the scars to prove it." Gur-Rai chuckled.
"I suppose Bradford will need to draw up yet another contract." Tygan chimed in, causing the three to startle. "Seems he's been doing that a lot lately."
"The more help we have, the better." Senuna stood. "And I certainly accept it, Verge." She held out her hand. "Welcome to XCOM."
Verge weakly took her hand, looking up at Gur-Rai in confusion. Gur-Rai just gave him a thumbs up.
.
.
The cascade of psionic power cut through the forest, toppling the smaller trees that could not withstand it's might. The boom it created echoed through the forest and shook the very ground, as though thunder had just rolled in. Kon-Mai's sword smoldered with purple sparks as the light died.
Dhar-Mon nodded. "That is a powerful ability."
Kon-Mai straightened up and twirled her sword in her hand, smiling proudly. "Thank you, Brother."
"But it is very imprecise." Dhar-Mon added.
Kon-Mai grimaced and sighed.
"I do not say this to belittle you." He insisted. "It seems very uncharacteristic of you, Kon-Mai, that your psionic ability only allows you to blanket an area in force."
"I have always known this technique." She protested. "Where else could I have learned it if it was not mine?"
He fell silent at that. She had a point. "If you are happy with it's effect, I will not press you further."
Kon-Mai looked down at her sword, then back up at her brother. "...What would you suggest, if I were to...perfect this?"
He stood behind her and lifted her sword arm, feeling how it sat in her grip. "...If you extend your arm like this, in this motion…" He made a slashing motion with her arm, pointing the tip forward. "Concentrate on the blade. Let your power flow through the metal. Then swing." He stepped back.
Kon-Mai closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it. She pulled the blade sideways across her chest, then gently flicked it in front of her.
A bolt of purple lightning shot from the tip of her blade and struck a tree, cutting a hole right through the bark. The wood smoldered with purple sparks but surprisingly did not catch alight.
Kon-Mai gasped and looked down at her weapon. "It is like a gun…"
Behind her, Dhar-Mon smiled. "Indeed. No longer must you rely on close range."
"I am very inaccurate at long range." Kon-Mai pointed out. "My eye cannot perceive depth."
"It does not need to." He stepped in front of her. "Do it again. Aim at me."
Kon-Mai gasped. "No!"
"Yes." He nodded. "I will be fine."
"I will not shoot at you, Brother! Even if you can deflect it!"
"Did you not say that your aim is poor?" He raised a brow, a smile all too much like Gur-Rai's crossing his lips. "Perhaps you shall miss."
Kon-Mai still hesitated. Then she backed up even farther away, until she was a good hundred paces from him. She looked at him again and, even focusing her eyes as much as she could, his figure was slightly blurred. She pulled her sword to her chest, confident her attack would miss him.
She slashed across, and a purple bolt of lightning shot forward, missing the Hieromonk by an entire foot. Before she could yell to him, however, she saw it circle back around, as if drawn to his very form, coming straight at his back. He held up his arm, shattering the projectile into a thousand purple sparks as Kon-Mai screamed.
She sprinted back over to him as he looked at her in shock. "Sister, you did well, what's-"
"Are you injured?!" She shrieked, grabbing his arm.
"I am well." He assured her. "Sister, you did not hurt me."
"How did that happen?!" She cried. "It missed you!"
"It did." He smiled. " And yet the missile seeks it's target, and it shall find it unless stopped by another. You shall never miss, Sister. Not with this."
She pouted. "Well...that's certainly useful…" She smacked his arm gently. "But do not ever force me to shoot at you again, Brother!"
He chuckled. "I have rarely seen you so riled, Sister."
"You are becoming like Gur-Rai." She shook her head. "I am riled because you're my brother-"
"-and I am unharmed." He assured her. "Nothing shall become of me, Sister. Not by your hand."
She seemed to relax, just a bit, and he took her hands and looked them over again.
"Now…" He took her sword gently from her hands. "Try it again."
"I need my blade for that."
He listed her palms. "Try and imagine a weapon entirely of energy."
She looked at him skeptically. He stared back, waiting for her to comply, as if he had no doubt she would. Finally, she closed her eyes, her fingers twitching just a bit. He could see the energy was there, within her reach. A little nudge from him and-
She gasped, her eyes flying open, as in her palm materialized a handful of tiny purple blades, shaped like circles. "Shurikens."
Dhar-Mon looked at her with glowing pride. "Now throw one at me."
"We have been over this!"
"Sister." He almost whined. "You must practice this art, and I promise, I will be fine."
She shook her head. "You and our brother both…" She stepped back several paces and held the star between her fingers. This felt familiar as well, but again, she could not place the memory.
Kon-Mai tossed her star. Her aim, of course, was bad, but she watched with wonder and horror as the star circled past his head, spinning almost like a boomerang, and came around behind him toward the back of his skull. This time he barely turned in time to catch it in his arm, crying out.
She gasped, the rest of her psionic weapons disintegrating, and ran over again. "I warned you! Your arm-!"
"It's only a scratch." He said. "Sister, you look so…" He took her shoulders. "You are pale. Do you feel faint? Let us sit."
"I am faint because YOU insist on getting yourself injured!" She whimpered. "I do not want to hurt you, Brother!"
He paused at that, then smiled. "...Would you have said the same thing last year?"
"Do not jest with me!" She looked like she was on the edge of tears and he guided her to a nearby tree, where they sat. "The Elders fostered nothing but animosity between us, but I still loved you!"
His expression softened noticeably, and as she curled her knees to her chest, Kon-Mai felt Dhar-Mon wrap a strong arm around her. She leaned into his chest, letting herself melt for just a moment. Her muscles were so tense as she curled up into a ball against his chest, like a child against her father. The idea brought forth rising sadness and a sting of tears against her eyes. Dhar-Mon rubbed her back.
"I love you too, little sister." He said softly. "I always have."
"Did you?" She asked softly. "Even when the Elders were kind to me? Even when they scolded you? Even when you were angry?"
"I see now that I was angry at them." He said. "I was angry at them for their betrayal towards me. I hated them for far longer than I ever knew. But I could never hate you." He kissed her forehead. "From the moment you emerged from your tank, you were my little sister, and it was my duty to protect you."
She laughed, but it was more of a bark through tears. "Everyone says that. Gur-Rai said that, now you, and here I am juggling between protecting the both of you."
"You do so much for us." Dhar-Mon agreed. "It was a mantle you should never have had to take up."
"Oh please." She scoffed. "All I do for you and Gur-Rai, I do because I want to." She looked up at him. "To care for and guide you two makes me happy."
He raised a brow. "Does it, Sister? Why ever would that be?"
She felt a familiar pang in her heart, on top of the joy and warmth and safety that encircled her right now. And so, instead of answering, Kon-Mai buried her face in Dhar-Mon's shoulder and let the fragrant wind surrounding them lull her to sleep.
(Bit of a shorter chapter today! Again, I had another planned but it needed some padding. Enjoy some sibling cuteness in the meantime!)