Terra, Duane, and Katarin returned to the house with the dishes and started washing them in the water buckets and finding places to store their new tableware. As they were washing, Katarin casually wondered, "So, um... is Mister Leo going to be staying?"

"He'll stay here tonight, if that's all right, but remember we're both leaving in the morning to go face Kefka," said Terra, wiping off one of the bowls with a towel and stacking it with the others.

"Oh, it's definitely all right, and I know you need to leave again." Katarin confirmed. "I just meant, you know... after that."

Duane perked up and added, "Oh, that would be great if he did! Since he's a soldier I was wondering if he could teach me how to fight. I want to be able to protect Katarin and the kids even when Terra's not here, and trying to figure out things on my own... it hasn't really been going well."

"And you two seem really close," Katarin agreed. "You've looked so much happier and more energetic since you've come back here with him, and the way you two support each other is so sweet... Watching you two interact makes me want to do more to be supportive of Duane even when he's feeling down."

Terra blushed and looked into the tub of water. She'd been so focused on making it to tomorrow and what they'd have to do then that she hadn't really put much thought into what would happen after that. Leo still had his relief work to do and even if they did defeat Kefka she had no reason to believe that the world would instantly re-stabilize as easily as he'd destabilized it. But she also knew that Leo hadn't really established a "home base" while doing his supply runs and his actual home of Vector no longer existed, so if he was still in need of a place he could consider "home"...

There was a thump from the front door as Leo pushed it open with his shoulder, carrying the record player and a pile of albums on top of it, an accomplished grin on his face. "Phew! You will be pleased to know that the relic shop owner must have been quite fond of a good night's sleep, as he had quite the selection of calming music." Looking down at the pile of records, he listed off, "World of Nocturnes, volumes 1, 2, and 3, Nighttime Lullabies, and The Dream World." He nodded to Katarin with a wink, saying, "There's a song on that last album that I think you'll find familiar. The few lyrics you could remember were more than enough for a positive identification. You have excellent taste in music."

"So you were able to find it?! Thank you so much!" Katarin said excitedly. She turned to Duane and shook him, exclaiming, "Duane, he found our song!"

"Really? The one from the relic shop?" Duane confirmed. When Katarin nodded, he turned back to Leo with an enthusiastic, "Oh, wow, let's take that downstairs and find a place to set it up, then!"

Terra stood and dried her hands, following Duane and Katarin as they escorted Leo down the stairs, chatting with him in earnest. She allowed herself a contented smile as she watched them interact. Despite his emotional turbulence, he truly did seem to be enjoying his stay in Mobliz so far. Duane and Katarin had readily warmed up to him, and the children were happy to play with him. He'd brought so much joy to this ravaged village and lightened both her physical and emotional burdens to the point that even if he was agreeable to staying longer, she felt like the amount that she'd gain from it must mean there was something inherently selfish about wishing for it.

But... he'd also assured her that that's what he was here for. He'd relied on her for support so much these past few days and never did she feel like she was being taken advantage of. It was quite possible that his feelings on the matter were the same.

When they opened the door to the underground living area they were greeted by a flurry of pillows, as the children had apparently become impatient with waiting for the adults to get there and had turned their floor cushions on each other in a chaotic pillow fight. Leo blinked at the scene and noted, "Well... it appears they still had ample energy left to burn off."

Terra held her fingers to her mouth and giggled. "I'm glad those cushions we bought have become so multi-purpose." She clapped her hands and raised her voice, saying, "All right, everyone, we've brought you some more music for story and bed time, but you need to calm down a moment so Leo can get through and set everything up, okay?"

The children lowered their pillows and crowded around curiously while Leo weaved through them to set the record player on a table in the middle of the row of beds. "Are we gonna dance some more?" wondered Frances.

"Not tonight, no, but now that you have these records you can dance every day if you like," Leo replied, getting the player arranged and wound up. He set the record on it and started it playing, and a slow, soft piano tune began emanating from the horn speaker. He let out a contented sigh and explained, "But right now, I think we all need to take some time to relax."

Katarin bounced a little giddily behind him. "Yes, yes, I recognize this song! It's not the one that's 'ours', but I think it comes later on this same record, right?" Leo nodded in confirmation. She took Duane's hands and pulled him to sit on the edge of one of the beds with her, requesting, "Duane, will you sit with me and listen to this, like we used to a year ago?"

Duane wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. "I'd love to, Katarin..." Looking up to Leo, he said, "Thank you... for giving even a little bit of our happier days back to us."

Leo felt a catch in his throat and nodded. "You... are quite welcome." As they settled down to cuddle together on the bed, Leo's chest began to ache, both with joy at seeing young people regaining some hope, contentment, and affection in their lives, but also in yearning to engage in a similar level of intimacy himself. Terra's actions back at the dinner party had left him somewhat flustered, and while he understood that she hadn't intended to suggest anything, she had also indicated that she was nevertheless open to what she had unintentionally suggested.

He pursed his lips in anxious thought. If he... if they... continued to pursue this relationship, what would that mean for them in the future? Would he stay here in Mobliz and help her look after the children? The aching in his chest only increased at the thought of it. Oh, how much he had dreamed of the day he could take an active part in raising children himself, and now here was the opportunity ripe for the...

... taking. His body shuddered at the unwelcome thoughts that had been plaguing him all evening. He wasn't here as a conqueror to take over the town and mold them to his nation's ideals... but up until he regained his memories he never thought of himself as such in the first place. How... how did he know what was imperialism and what was an honest effort to help people attain a better standard of living? Just... just because this was something he desperately wanted didn't necessarily mean it was inherently selfish, right?

He was jolted from his anxious musings by Lili tugging on his hand. "Mister Leo, Mister Leo, Mama's gonna read us a new story and you gotta come listen!"

He blinked and looked around the room as though there were possibly anyone else she could be addressing while saying his name and tugging on his hand. "Do you... wish for me to join you?" he asked hesitantly.

Lili nodded in enthusiasm. "Yeeah!" She pulled harder and he had no choice but to crouch down and be led into the other room by an energetic six year-old in a flower-print skirt. The other children were already gathered there, seated on their cushions in front of the fireplace, while Terra was seated in a chair against the wall in front of them. She watched in amusement as Lili pointed at her empty floor cushion and instructed Leo, "Okay, you gotta sit and listen to the story."

Leo glanced up at Terra, who was barely suppressing a grin, then back down at Lili. "But that's your cushion. Where are you going to sit?"

"I can sit in your lap!" she suggested.

He blushed, then looked helplessly at Terra for confirmation that this was allowed. Terra could only grin more broadly and lean forward, saying, "Lili, you need to make sure you ask him if it's okay that you do that first."

"Oh, right!" She looked back up at Leo and corrected to, "May I sit in your lap, please?"

God, how could he say no to that? He felt his legs wobble and before he knew it he was seated on the cushion, Lili happily perched on his knee. From the side, Felix exclaimed, "Hey, can I sit on Mister Leo's lap, too?" Leo didn't even have time to say "yes" before he found himself with a second child clamoring onto his other leg.

Terra giggled. "All right, is everyone comfortable now?"

Lili nodded. "Yes, Mister Leo's lap is very comfortable." Terra certainly couldn't argue with that and gave him a wordless coy smile.

"All right then," she said, opening the book. "The story tonight is 'The Three Friends' Picnic'." The children all eagerly leaned forward to listen, as there had been only six books able to be salvaged in Mobliz that were appropriate to read to children and by this point they'd heard them all dozens of times. Something new was more than enough to pique their interest, no matter what it was.

"'Deep in the forest, there lived a chocobo, a moogle, and a dog who were all best friends,'" she began reading.

Dennis perked up. "It has a chocobo in it!"

"And a dog!" said Charley.

Terra nodded and continued, "'They all got along very well and did everything together. One day, they thought it would be fun if they had a picnic. They each promised to bring their favorite foods to the picnic and share them with their friends. So the next day, they all got together and showed what they brought. First the moogle opened his basket and said, "I brought Kupo Nuts! They're my favorite!" Then the chocobo opened his basket and said, "I brought Gysahl Greens for everyone!" Then the dog opened his basket and said, "I brought dried meat!"'"

"I like what the dog brought!" said Ivan.

Terra continued, "'But when the three friends tried to give each other their food, no one would take it. "I'm sorry, I don't like meat or nuts, but you can have some of my greens," said the chocobo. The moogle said, "Oh, that's okay, I don't like greens or meat, but please have as many Kupo Nuts as you like." The dog said, "I only eat meat, so you can share the rest."

"'The three friends then realized that they could only eat what they brought themselves, and were sad because they just wanted to share their favorite things with their friends but their friends didn't like them. They were worried that meant that maybe they weren't really friends. They decided they wanted to try again, and that maybe meat, greens, and nuts were just bad foods for a picnic.

"'The next day, the three friends got together for a picnic again. The moogle opened his basket and said, "I just wanted to share with my friends, so even though I can't eat them, I brought greens and meat." The chocobo opened his basket and said, "I wanted to make sure you all had something to eat, so I brought meat and nuts." The dog said, "I don't want my friends to be left out, so I brought nuts and greens."

"'And the three friends thought this was the best picnic ever, even though it was all the same food they'd brought the day before, because something given by a friend who was thinking of them tasted so much better than something they just had themselves. They realized that even though they liked different things, they could still best friends, because they all cared about what each other needed. And after they finished eating, the three of them decided to go watch the sunset together. And they all liked that.'" She closed the book and grinned down at them. "And that's the end."

"That was a good story," said Jeanne, nodding a little sleepily.

Terra nodded and closed the book. "And I think that means it's time for bed." She looked up and noticed that at some point during her reading, Lili and Felix had both fallen asleep in Leo's lap and he was looking up at her a little tentatively as though seeking instruction as to what she wanted him to do. With a smile, she walked over to him and crouched down, holding her arms out. "Here, I can take Felix, but can you help bring Lili to bed?"

Leo swallowed and blinked. "It's... all right if I hold her?"

Terra leaned over and bumped her forehead against his as she gently picked up Felix, trying not to disturb him too much. "She wanted to sit in your lap, so I think she'd also very much like it if you held her."

Leo pressed his forehead back against hers and closed his eyes with a soft rumble of affirmation. He supported Lili with his arm and slowly stood up. She made a little groan and stretched, then draped her arms around his neck and flopped her head on his shoulder, never opening her eyes. As if this had triggered some sort of paternal instinct, he automatically began swaying back and forth a little in an effort to rock her back to sleep.

He looked to Terra with an accomplished smile, his eyes a little misty. All of his anxieties regarding his place in the world now and the legacy he'd left upon it were pushed to the side in favor of comforting and protecting the child in his arms right now. A child that over the course of the day he'd also helped to feed, bathe, play with, and instruct... he'd longed to do this for so long but had assumed that, like Orcus, his dreams would never come to fruition. But now that he was literally holding them in his arms... he was still a little intimidated about what to do with them.

He followed Terra and the other children out of the room as they clambered into their beds. Isabel bounced on hers and exclaimed, "We got new blankets! They're so soft!" Some of the other children immediately dove under the new blankets and wrapped themselves in them snugly.

Terra giggled as she gently laid Felix down on his bed and pulled the covers over him. "That's right, so hopefully you'll all get a good night's rest." The record was still playing softly in the background, and she could see a few of them nod their heads along with it as they settled onto their pillows.

Leo crouched down and gently unloaded Lili onto the same bed as her brother, pulling the covers over her and tucking her in comfortably. She let out a yawn, then rolled over and draped an arm over Felix before falling back asleep.

He lingered there a moment longer, meticulously arranging the blanket so that they were both properly covered, then stood and surveyed the room with a mellow warmth in his chest. Eight orphaned children, successfully cleaned, fed, and entertained, now contentedly drifting off to sleep to peaceful music thanks both to his and Terra's efforts. Despite the wrongs that he had enabled before, this... this was definitely something right, and he had to allow himself to recognize that, for their sakes.

As he stepped softly between the beds back towards the landing so as not to disturb them, he took note of the progression of the music on the record, then quietly cleared his throat to gain the attention of Duane and Katarin, who were still snuggling together on their bed. The song advanced to a slow aria with a soothing female voice. Katarin sat up and softly exclaimed, "Yes! This is it! That song!"

Terra and Leo both simultaneously held fingers to their lips to indicate they try to remain quiet. Katarin pulled Duane off the bed and led him down to the landing away from the beds so she could more excitedly whisper, "You remember this song, don't you?"

"How could I forget it?" replied Duane, holding her hands and swaying back and forth. "This is the song we fell in love to." He slid an arm to her shoulder and slowly began dancing with her to it while Katarin rested her head on his chest.

Terra hugged Leo's arm and smiled up at him warmly. The way she held him, the way she looked at him... all his worries over the course of the evening that he might be inadvertently overstepping his welcome and imposing on her were slowly losing their hold on him. The ambiance around him was nothing but contentment, joy... and love.

He turned to her and slowly raised her hand to his lips, closing his eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you... for giving me this opportunity tonight... and for being a constant source of support for everyone here."

She rubbed her hand over his cheek, then moved it to his shoulder and coaxed him into the same slow dance as Duane and Katarin. Resting her cheek on his other shoulder, she said, "And you've been more than supportive tonight, too, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to help." Lifting up on her toes to whisper into his ear, she added, "But if there's still more that I can do to help you, I want the rest of tonight to be for you, to talk to me, or whatever else I can do to help you feel more at ease."

Leo's entire body warmed and he leaned forward to nuzzle the side of her head with an affirmative hum. His mind was peaceful right now and he knew that talking about his insecurities would inevitably agitate it, but his emotions had been swinging from joyful to anxious all evening at inopportune times and confronting and talking about it openly with the person he trusted most would hopefully help temper that going forward. But right now he felt so comfortable and satisfied that he didn't want to disrupt that... not just yet...

The two couples continued to slowly dance to the music while the children drifted off to sleep, each basking in the love and warmth of their partner. When the song finally ended, they continued to hold each other a while longer, still not wanting the moment to end.

Eventually Katarin gave Duane a happy squeeze and let out a pleased sigh. "That was... just what I needed to end the night." She turned to look at Leo and Terra and said, "Even though you said you won't be leaving to try to set the world right until tomorrow, with this song it feels like you've already succeeded in bringing a part of it back."

"You... are quite welcome," Leo replied, a little flustered. "Music does have great power... though it is by no means sufficient to fully restore what has been lost, but we should at least celebrate our successes as they come and allow them to encourage us to press on further."

"I understand that a lot more now, thanks to you, Mister Leo," Duane replied. "And I promise that I'll do everything in my power to take care of everyone while you two are gone... but not to the point where I make myself not able to take care of anyone at all."

Katarin hugged him and yawned pleasantly. "We should probably get to bed, too. Rest is an important part of that self-care, right?"

Leo nodded, and Duane and Katarin excused themselves to return to the sleeping area, bidding Leo and Terra good night. Terra walked back to her room and beckoned Leo to follow her, but he diverted a moment to flip the record over and resume it from the second side to ensure Duane and Katarin had something to lull them to sleep. Surveying the room one last time, he gazed upon eight little heads poking from beneath fresh blankets, all still slumbering peacefully. Allowing himself a small smile, he realized that he himself hadn't actually slept yet since regaining his memories. He wondered if he would be able to with everything still chaotically jostling around inside his head.

He swallowed and looked to Terra's open door, the firelight warmly glowing from inside it. Talking to her when he first regained his memories had calmed him down enough to recognize just how much she meant to him and allow himself to more fully rely on her for support. And she had absolutely excelled at that so far. But his anxieties at that point had revolved around what had happened to him, while the ones troubling him now concerned what he himself had done. With as welcoming and reassuring as everyone had been to him he was probably just fretting over nothing, but... Terra still had the right to know what was bothering him.

She had offered to be his support, and as Leo slowly made his way to the inviting glow of her open door, he was finally fully resolved to take her up on that.

Notes:

- Per the "all the other FF soundtracks are operas" pattern, "The Dream World" is intended to be an album based off Final Fantasy X.
- And as such, Duane and Katarin's favorite song would likely be "Suteki da ne", though in this version sung in a more operatic tone rather than a Japanese pop ballad. The lyrics of the chorus of that song being appropriate here, as they translate as "Isn't it wonderful, to walk together hand-in-hand. I wish to be in your town, your home, your arms."
- Title literally means "little book", but also refers to the text of an opera.