Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of preparation… especially for the one who's smarter than they often seem.

~保護者~

"Fortitude"

~保護者~

Introductions had more-or-less been made. Still, Sonic's friends were understandably a touch confused still. Rouge, arms crossed and head canted, tapped her foot a couple of times. "So, let me guess this straight," she said, eyes on Pyrun. "You're some sort of deity?"

"Not exactly," Sonic answered.

He'd paused to give Pyrun a chance to speak, but Silver actually beat the other man to the punch. His son hovered cross-legged in the air beside Knuckles, looking surprisingly calm and thoughtful. "Well, no, he's not. But people in ancient times tended to revere people like him and the Immortals as deities. That went on for a long time, as you can imagine. And since there was never any other name for him and his allies, the terms 'Gods' and 'Goddesses' stuck."

His own wife looked at him in surprise. "I… did not expect you to know that," she admitted.

At this, Silver's expression turned sheepish. "Hey, I'm not a total doofus, you know."

Sonic shook his head, albeit with a smile. "Anyway… Pyrun, was there anything you wanted to say?"

Pyrun chuckled softly. "He got it more or less right. I'm the God of Searing Heat, which means my abilities mostly lie in fire and heat-based abilities. As such, most fire doesn't really affect me," he explained. "I was asked to come here and help some of you train, and the more I think about it, the better that is. Training against someone who will also be borderline immune to fire can somewhat better prepare you for a lot of the stronger demons, even though some of you have been facing them for a while."

Silver raised a hand. "Question. Are you immune to fire that's fueled by other things? Like, Dad's fire is full of magic by nature, for example. And mine is, weirdly, full of psychokinetic energy. Not that I usually have access to fire, but still."

"I'm not immune to magic or psychokinetic energy, so that aspect of the fire will still do something. However, I am immune to fires that are weaker than my own. It's a good thing to note, too, because this applies to other things as well. Not just fire," Pyrun explained easily. "Anything else?"

When no one else spoke, Blaze did. "No, I think we understand."

Pyrun nodded and continued. "Those of you with regular fire, your power is still very useful. While the flames may not hurt these demons, you can still utilize them to move quickly in short bursts, force enemies away, and more if you use it well. Don't be afraid to use what you have, if you're being crafty with it."

Dad's used fire to achieve lift before, Sonic spontaneously remembered. "Right. That makes sense."

"Beyond just this, you guys are still skilled fighters. A lot of you seem to have potential that just needs to be reached, and some just need to hone their skills a bit. Focus on what you've got and how you can use it. Experimenting is fine as long as you all take care. If anyone has questions, don't be afraid to ask. I might be able to help provide insight," Pyrun said with a smile. It's been a while since I acted like a sort of instructor. Feels odd to do it again.

No one seemed to have any questions for the most part, with the exception of Silver. "Erm… my only question is how I'm meant to properly train with you guys. Literally no one here has any way of fending off psychic powers. It doesn't make for a very fair bout of training."

Eila spoke up softly from where she'd been standing some distance away. "I do, Silver."

Despite hovering, Silver managed to whip around. The fact that she must have been hiding her mind crossed his thoughts, but he didn't pay it much attention. His eyes lit up and he grinned. "Oh, great! Wanna work on some stuff, then?"

She averted her gaze for a moment before nodding. "It would be good for you to train one of your stronger powers. I have no issue with it."

Silver crossed his arms thoughtfully. "We might be able to teach each other different techniques and things, too. That would be good." The cat nodded again in response, simply waiting for everything to begin. Shortly afterward, everyone spread out to get to work. Silver turned his full attention to Eila. "So, what all can you do with your powers?"

That question caused her to wince slightly, though she attempted to hide this fact. "I have used it primarily in the past for reading thoughts and memories, among many other things I will not be repeating."

"Okay… so that's telepathy, then. Pretty standard. What else can you do that isn't, well… bad, I guess?" Silver offered her an apologetic look, unhappy that he didn't think of a better way to put it.

"I have used it in lieu of my magic for purposes similar to Telekinesis. Outside of that, I don't really utilize it much anymore," Eila answered. Whether she was even bothered by how he'd said it didn't show on her face.

Silver smiled at her. "Alright. Well, do you wanna test out what else you might be able to do? I won't ask you to stop hiding your mind so that I can sense for myself, and this will work just as well anyway. It'll just take a little bit longer, is all."

Eila was quiet for a moment before answering. "If I unveil my mind, will you avoid peering into my memories? It may well scar you if you do not exercise caution."

"I would never do anything like that to you," Silver promised, "but I also won't ask you to let me look. We can just try practicing things. It'll be good for you to try it out, as well."

"I suppose so," Eila answered. "As long as it does not bring anyone serious harm, I will not object."

"Not at all, don't worry. We're gonna start with really easy, basic stuff, anyway." Silver picked up a rock and lightly tossed it to her. "Here, see if you can use your psychic powers to teleport this. I'm guessing you usually use your magic."

"Teleporting with a psychic power?" Eila questioned lightly. "I suppose it may be partially due to the rarity of such powers, but I have not heard of this being possible."

A golden eye winked. "How else would I get around? I use mine to hover, fly, teleport, soar underwater at high speeds, all that jazz. Powers like these can do a lot if you're strong enough."

"I assumed it was due to your possession of Light," Eila murmured. "Though, I can attempt to do so." The cat lifted it off the ground where it landed after Silver tossed it to her (as she had been focused on her thoughts) with her psychic power and focused for a moment. The thought of how she did so with her magic crossed her mind and she simply applied the same process, teleporting it out of her sight without ever once using her magic. "It seems I did stand to learn something after all."

"That's great!" Silver beamed. "Since you can do that, you might be able to do something similar, too." He stopped hovering long enough to pick up some random twig. "Random but relevant question. How much do you think this would be worth in terms of Mobian money?"

Eila frowned vaguely. "I do not assume it is worth much at all, in terms of currency."

"Right. It's worth exactly nothing, in fact." He dropped it and teleported a small paintbrush into his hand. "What about this?"

"Silver, I am not well versed in the economics of this planet," Eila murmured, frowning further.

"Just take a guess," Silver chuckled. "I promise, there's a point to this."

I don't even know the name of the currency our planet uses, Eila thought to herself before finally answering. "A significant amount more than the twig?"

"Not really. This ragged old thing is worth a grand total of one coin." Silver crossed his legs again, resuming hovering in the air. "But let's say you're holding this and you want to swap it with something of similar value. You can use this ability known as 'apport' to exchange it with something random that's either worth the same or slightly higher value. But, that value can also be sentimental value. So, if we pretend that this is my most favorite paintbrush in the whole world and I apport it, I'll wind up with another personal belonging that I care about. That all make sense?"

"Similar to the law of equivalent exchange," Eila answered in a murmur. "I believe I understand."

That earned a smile. "Cool. Now, obviously, this has very minimal use in combat and that sort of thing. But it's a good way to exercise your mind a bit from time to time. It's important to do that sort of thing to make your mind stronger. Your powers, too, obviously."

Eila nodded slowly in response, thinking over this quietly. "I understand what you mean."

Silver thought for a moment. "Let's see… What about things like pyrokinesis? Any idea if you have anything like that?"

The woman shook her head. "I do not. It would be useful in some cases, however." Those cold nights could have been made much more comfortable.

"Eh, no worries. Not everyone has those ones." Silver abruptly vanished, only to return with a cat in his arms. "I swiped her from my uncle for a sec, so we'll have to be quick. If you have the ability to telekinetically speak with animals, you should be able to hear her thoughts if you focus."

Eila focused for a moment and watched the cat before her ears flicked softly. "I do."

"Awesome," Silver grinned. "This one can be very useful. If you're in a place full of animals and you're in trouble in a fight, you can use this power to ask them for help. It won't always work, but sometimes it absolutely does."

"I see," Eila murmured. "I will keep that in mind." You are teaching me more than I expected…

"Let's try one more thing before I send her home," Silver replied. "Try asking her to do something simple. Like, maybe ask her to walk over to you, for example. She's pretty agreeable, so you can practice this type of communication without risking aggression or anything."

Eila glanced up at him with a slight frown before doing as he'd said, kneeling down and mentally beckoning for the cat to jump onto her leg. Sure enough, the cat hopped down out of Silver's lap and made her way to Eila, purring all the while. Eila gently petted the cat for a moment before picking her up and handing her back to Silver. "You should return her now, before your uncle grows concerned."

"Heh, fair." Silver gently took the cat and left with her, then returned a second later. "You're doing really well, by the way. You've definitely got talents."

Eila was caught off-guard by the compliment, blinking several times before vague confusion appeared on her face. "I am not often complemented in such a way," she admitted rather calmly.

"Well, there's a first time for everything?" Silver offered. "We aren't shy about speaking good about each other here, honestly."

"My sister would fit in quite well, in that case," Eila answered. "Is there anything else you wish to show me?"

Silver tapped his chin. "There is one other. At least, for now. People call it hypnosis, but it's not anything like magicians use. Basically, you make it so that people see and hear what you want them to, not control them. So, if we pretend that I use it on you, I could, for example, make you see and hear me as a different person than I am. It's a bit of mental trickery that's saved my butt a few times, honestly. But it obviously works best if the person you use it on doesn't know you did it. So, like, in my example, it would work best if you hadn't seen me beforehand."

"So, if we were to use it on one another, our knowledge, skill, and power could render it ineffective?" Eila asked.

"Right. You and I would see right through it," Silver agreed. "Immortals will, too, and so will anyone else with powers like ours. So you have to be sure that you're not using it on or around an enemy that can see the truth."

Eila frowned, then focused on something else entirely for a moment. She'd wholly expected to hear Petry's voice speaking about how useful of an ability that would be, but no such thing happened. It brought her relief to know this, but expecting it made her still feel a touch of concern. "I can see how it would be useful."

"Mm-hm. I think that's enough for now, though. That gives you a bunch to practice as it is." Silver thought some more, then shook his head. "Actually, one more thing. Psychic powers can make semi-physical objects that you can use in combat. Did you know that already?"

She created a spear of her own psychic energy that floated above an outstretched hand. "I primarily do this with my magic, but yes. This I did know quite well."

That earned another smile. "Great! I primarily use sickles myself, but any weapons you can make is gonna be really useful."

Eila nodded easily. "It is incredibly useful, especially when you can do so on a large scale."

"How many objects can you create and maintain at once?" Silver asked her, now curious.

"I usually do not count, but I have on occasion had to face hordes of enemies alone, due to my past," Eila explained. "It is usually as many as I need. There is a limit, I am sure, though I avoid it by getting rid of any that are not being used."

"That's a good strategy. And the fact that you can make more than five or so is very promising." Silver gave her another smile. "Like I said, you've got talent."

Eila managed a fleeting smile in response before asking, "Would you mind if I taught you something in return?"

"I was going to ask if you had anything to share," Silver chuckled. "Guess you beat me to it."

Her smile returned before vanishing again. "I simply label it as suggestion. You simply come up with a command and send it out to minds around you, unless you selectively choose to not let certain ones receive it. You can use this to sway the actions of an enemy to buy yourself time." She frowned lightly. "I would not recommend relying on it in fights against the demons, as the God of Demons and his generals will often have an unrelenting sway on their minds already, but doing so to one that is attempting to directly harm you could prove useful by making them halt their actions."

Silver's mouth made a small 'o' of surprise. "I've heard of this, I think. I'll definitely try it out sometime in a less life-or-threat situation."

"If you wish to attempt it here, we can. I can lessen the strength in which I protect my mind, and you can try to sway me from being able to 'attack' you," Eila murmured. "If you are uncomfortable, though, I understand."

He frowned a little. "Would it even work on you? Not just because you have the power to resist, but also because you'd know it's coming."

"I would not raise my defenses, and you also have the element of surprise. I can know you will do something, but when you choose to do so will help your cause," Eila explained. "It would be similar to facing an actual enemy without the power."

Though he gave it some thought, Silver ultimately shook his head. "I get what you're saying. For your sake, though, I'd rather we not try it on you. Just in case, you know?"

Eila nodded. "I understand." A moment of thought passed before she murmured something that she didn't expect to say. "I trust that you would not abuse such against me."

"'Course I wouldn't," Silver answered with yet another smile. "Thanks for trusting that. It means a lot."

She gave another nod in response before asking, "Have you performed any combat training, recently?"

"A bit, yeah," Silver shrugged. "I've mostly been practicing on my own, though."

"Maybe it would be helpful to attempt some? I surely have a few skills that could help you learn to face new types of enemies."

"If it's no trouble for you, that'd be great," Silver answered happily. "I'm usually the only one around who has these kinds of powers and routinely fights with them, so having a sparring partner would be great."

Eila nodded with a gentle smile. "It's no trouble at all. I'll even give you the honor of going first."

"You're on."

~保護者~

Espio was sitting in a low branch of a tree near the heart of the village. His son was asleep in his arm, having just finished off the bottle of juice Espio held in his free hand. Zei was running around and playing nearby with the only other child in the village, a girl several years her elder. Things gave the outward appearance of being calm and peaceful, but he didn't expect it to last. I don't trust it. Something always happens.

In the end, nothing did. Sako slept. Zei played. A bit of snow fell. People went about their business quietly as usual. He almost huffed, debating whether or not this constituted being truly proven wrong, when a familiar energy signature reached his senses. He turned his head that way, but wasn't tense or wary. It was only his mother, after all. I'd thought she wanted to be left alone after all of that. She certainly left fast enough. It didn't take long at all for Aniko to appear in a tree near him, watching Zei and Sako for a moment before regarding him with a nod in greeting. Rather than waiting for her to speak, he did so first. "Are you alright?"

Aniko almost responded on instinct before thinking better of it. "Not exactly, no. I am not well." She fell quiet for a moment, searching for the words to say before adding, "With what has happened to Shei, on top of the turmoil of my father's presence… I am not feeling at my best." Espio nodded a little, having nothing to really say. She let out a soft sigh. "Enough of me for now… how are you?"

Though he initially only shrugged, Espio soon responded with a simple, "Fine."

"Sako and Zei are doing well?" Aniko questioned gently.

"Yes," Espio confirmed.

Aniko shifted her gaze around, head tilting. "Is Armaris not here currently?"

"She is at the house," he told her. "She does not like the cold."

"Fair enough," Aniko answered. She fell quiet for a moment before asking, "Is there anything we can do to help Shei? I do not like the idea of leaving him on his own."

Espio frowned to himself. "I looked into it very slightly, but it turned up nothing needless to say. I'd hoped to have more time to research the matter before these two woke from their nap. I was thinking that, if any records exist anymore of how his powers were tamed in the past, they could be found and utilized. But it is possible that such records were never made to begin with."

"And even if they were, it would likely take considerable time to find them," Aniko added. "That is… unpleasant, but expected." Espio nodded a little, just as unhappy with the outcome as she was. Aniko muttered a few curses under her breath before saying, "Some good news has come, I suppose. I am willing to give my father another chance," she admitted gently.

Now that successfully surprised him. Turning his head, Espio regarded his mother in confusion for a moment before cautiously asking, "...You are?"

"Hesitantly so," Aniko answered. "I am still not ready to forgive him for what was done… but perhaps his actions can sway my opinion."

"I see." Espio looked away, returning his attention to his daughter. "He has been resting at my home. If you choose to speak with him at any point, you can find him there."

Aniko nodded a little. "I am not ready for that, yet. My emotions are too wild at the moment for me to do so, but I will remember that." Espio nodded a little, understanding where she was coming from. His eyes tracked Zei and the other little girl as they ran circles around a thinner tree up ahead. In spite of everything going on, the sight of her carefree joy managed to keep him feeling mellow and at ease for now. Aniko watched them as well and her heart dropped slightly. "There is something I wish to tell you, but it is… also unpleasant."

"Just tell me," Espio answered, not even batting an eye. "I would rather know than be kept in the dark."

"My own Darkness has been acting out as of late," Aniko revealed. "There was a time when it was out of control, but… now I am simply growing so incredibly angry that it reacts every time. I do not know if I can keep it under wraps."

Espio glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I know," he said after a moment. "Even though you were not near me for any of these incidents, I sensed it every time it happened."

Aniko shifted her eyes away. "I am ashamed to be trying to help you learn to keep your own under control when I cannot do so for myself."

"You have been under unforeseen stress," Espio reminded quietly. "Even Father would not have remained entirely calm and in control, in your situation."

"I see," Aniko answered quietly. "I still do not feel… good about it."

Letting out a breath, Espio silently agreed with her. He knew how she felt, more or less. Only, he didn't know how to respond to her. Nothing I can come up with sounds right, once again…

"Are you alright?" Aniko asked quietly. "You are… thinking about something."

Espio immediately shook his head. "It's nothing."

"It is certainly more than nothing," Aniko countered.

"It isn't," Espio insisted, though he didn't dare press it too much further than that out of respect for her. Causing an argument was simply not something he was willing to do.

Aniko let out a gentle sigh. "You are my son. I just want you to know that you can speak to me about how you feel or what you think."

That earned a small, unhappy frown. In an effort to explain himself, he mumbled, "I don't always have something to say."

"I understand," Aniko answered in a murmur. "I know that Rose has been absent recently. Were you able to speak to her about anything regarding your disorder?"

"Little has been discussed," Espio admitted. "There has been no real opportunity for it."

Aniko shrugged lightly. "That's understandable. She's told me that she didn't want to push too hard without getting to know you a bit better." Espio nodded a little. He was pretty sure he'd been told as much, too, at some point or another. "Aside from that… how do you feel about this all? Finding out what you have about yourself, that is."

I hate it. Espio looked away, debating whether or not to voice that little thought. In the end, all he said was a small, "Nothing. I don't care."

"You do not?" Aniko asked, raising an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but I do not believe that."

"It doesn't matter regardless," Espio muttered. "It changes nothing."

"Why do you believe so?" Aniko questioned further. This does not sound right…

"Because it is the truth," was the immediate answer. "Thinking or feeling something about it does not change that."

"Are you telling me the truth?" Aniko suddenly dared to ask. "Do you truly not care about what you have learned?" Confronted with the idea of lying (this time fully intentionally) straight to her face, Espio could only fall silent. Aniko nodded slowly before murmuring, "It does not change how I view you. You are my son, and I will love you regardless of who you are or what you do. Disorders be damned. I will not let something like that change how I love my family."

"It is not about that," Espio argued quietly. He didn't want to wake Sako, after all. "I believed you and father already when you told me something similar the first time this was brought to our attention. But it does not change the fact that I hate it and everything related to it." And, damn it all, he hadn't expected to get so upset and blurt that out, but it was too late to take it back now.

"Can you tell me why you hate it?" Aniko asked gently.

"There is nothing to like about it," Espio countered sullenly. "There is nothing good about something that only manages to cause problems."

"You do not have to like it," Aniko countered. "But you seem to hate it for more than just it causing problems." Espio only shrugged this time. "Espio… what are you not telling me?"

Refusing to speak about it more, partly because he simply didn't know how, Espio shook his head. "Nothing. I don't know. Just…" He shook his head again. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter," Aniko countered lightly. "But I will not attempt to force you to speak." Espio remained silent this time, upset and unable to work out precisely why he was so upset. "Espio, may I ask you a different question?"

Letting out a breath, Espio nodded. In truth, he was grateful for the change in subject. "Yes."

"If you ever can put some of these thoughts into words… will you attempt to find someone you trust to speak with or simply write it down?" Aniko asked gently. "I'm worried about you, but I can't always tell what you're thinking. I want to help where I can."

After a long pause, Espio openly sighed. "...Father gave me that journal," he eventually reminded her. "I can… try to resume using it."

"I would greatly appreciate that, my son," Aniko murmured. "Your wellbeing matters so much to me."

"I know." Damnit, he was mumbling again. He really needed to stop doing that. How much more obvious could he be than when he started talking in such a manner?

Aniko decided to change the topic for his benefit. "How has Zei's health been? She seems to be faring much better now."

"It is improving," Espio answered after a moment. "Her appetite is better than it was, and I cannot feel her bones through her skin as easily anymore."

"That's pleasant to hear. She is an adorable child, and I am glad that you are raising her," Aniko murmured.

"It may not be good enough," Espio revealed to her quietly. "She suffered, Mother. I am far from the ideal person to deal with that."

"You are not alone," Aniko answered. "Not only do you have Armaris, but you will forever have the support of your family. You also have friends with children, yes?"

"A few," Espio admitted. However, he was quick to add, "It is not right to burden them with this on top of everything else."

Aniko huffed at him. "They are good allies and friends. They would be willing to offer their help, I'm sure, if you asked."

"Perhaps," Espio answered noncommittally.

"And Sako seems well," Aniko commented.

Glancing down at the baby in question, Espio agreed, "He is."

"He is quite adorable, much like you were," Aniko teased gently.

Espio gave her a dry look. "I was not."

"Oh, you were. You were an absolutely adorable baby and I will not pretend otherwise," Aniko said in a chuckle. Espio huffed and waved her off with a hand, briefly leaving the bottle to hover harmlessly in the air with his Darkness. He took hold of it again and let the Darkness dissipate without any struggle. Aniko simply chuckled more. "You were also an adorable child."

"You will not let this go, will you?" Espio sighed. "I was not cute."

"I will not let it go, and I will also not let you speak such a lie in my presence," Aniko responded easily. Espio grumbled some half-hearted retort under his breath, but decided not to argue the point further. She smiled at her perceived victory before looking away. "Thank you for speaking to me. I appreciate it." Though she'd done the vast majority of the talking, Espio nodded a little, if only to acknowledge the sentiment. For the most part... he supposed it had been nice, in a way.

~保護者~

Finis opened his eyes when he sensed the arrival of Cere on this incredibly small world. Analia was awake upstairs, but was resting as she'd promised she would. He debated the merits of leaving his post at the bottom of the stairs for a moment to greet his partner, but ultimately decided to wait where he was. Not so much because he expected trouble to come, but more because he, too, had made a promise. That is, to stay where he was as much as possible and guard Analia. So he stayed put and waited patiently for Cere to come inside.

Cere could easily be heard entering the home and walking to the stairs, no hesitation in her steps as she gently wrapped an arm around Finis. "It is good to see you again, Finis," she murmured. He silently offered an agreement of some kind. "How is Analia faring?" she questioned lightly.

"Better," he mentally replied. "She has healed herself somewhat and has a bit more energy."

"That's really good to hear," Cere said with a smile. "Has she been resting like you've asked her to?"

"Like you asked her, initially," Finis corrected. "And yes. She has been."

Cere rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sure you've repeated it. Regardless, she's awake now, right? I'd like to talk to her a little bit."

"She is awake," Finis confirmed.

The Hexan nodded and started to ascend the stairs quietly. "Come with me. I want you there as well." Seeing as how it tended to be pointless to question her, he simply followed along. Cere stepped into the room Analia was in and gave a gentle smile to the other woman. "Hello, Analia."

Immediately upon laying eyes on her, Analia pushed herself up. "Cere!" she breathed, smiling warmly. "It is wonderful to see you."

"Same to you, my friend," Cere answered, approaching standing by the bed. "You seem to be in good spirits."

"I am," Analia agreed. "I had the privilege of being visited by one of my sons and his children. It was wonderful to see them all again."

Cere nodded gently. "That's good. I wish I could see my student more often, but she's happy around Espio and I don't have the heart to keep her away from him," the Hexan admitted. "If she's happy though, it's alright."

"I can understand," Analia said. "It is difficult to miss someone, but… it is easier when they, at least, are happy."

"Armaris is like a daughter to me," Cere answered. "Have you gotten to see both of your sons recently?"

"Not at the same time, but yes," Analia replied. "It would warm my heart to see them together, but I understand why that has not happened yet."

Cere nodded gently. "They've both been quite busy. I assume you know about Shadow's newest friend?"

This made Analia smile wider. "I met him once, yes. They seem so close already. I could not stop smiling after they both left. They are sweet together, are they not?"

"I have not seen much of them, but from my talks with Armaris, she seems to think they're doing well with one another," Cere murmured. "It's good, though."

"My son has always been the sort to believe he is better off alone," Analia murmured. "I believe he is finally starting to truly understand that that does not have to be the case. It makes me happy to see."

Cere's gentle smile grew. "That's really good to hear. Li has found himself someone recently, which I found odd because he's always been in the background by choice."

"Oh, has he? Good for him." Analia brushed some hair out of her face. "He is the sort who benefits from close companionship, I believe. Having a partner will do him well."

"I think so as well, but I find it odd that he happened to get with one of the few Therians left. To each their own, I suppose," she chuckled. "Novei seems to treat him well, and she is very protective. I am glad that he has someone like her." Analia nodded her agreement, still smiling. "Other than that, I am aware you had a few visitors here?" Cere questioned.

"Yes, I did. Rose and her young sister have visited, along with… 'Rusen'." Analia's head canted. "I expect you know as well as I precisely who he was."

Cere blinked once before nodding slowly. "Aside from Rusen's visit, what were Rose and Eila here for?"

"Some form of magic was affecting Rose's emotions and behavior, and she was seeking assistance," Analia answered. "Eila came the first time seeking advice and direction. The second time… Unfortunately, it was due to one of her alternate personalities having forced a confrontation between her and her sister."

"Oh…" Cere answered quietly. "I never… thought of that being part of Eila's situation. And for Rose to have to fight her sister, that must weigh on her more than she's admitting."

"I believe so," Analia agreed. "But I did not believe it fair of me to press the matter at the time, so I said nothing."

Cere nodded lightly. "She has always been a touch isolated emotionally. Talking of herself and how she feels is not a strong suit of hers."

"Yes, I have noticed," Analia sighed. "It is a problem in and of itself, I am afraid."

"It is," the Hexan answered. "Have you seen anyone else that I wasn't aware of?"

Analia thought for a minute. "There was a Babylonian here who seemed to know them. He was unfamiliar to me, but kind. I sensed great magic within him."

Cere's interest piqued, then her mind made the connection. "That… may have been the God of Magic who recently awakened," she revealed.

Bright green eyes sparkled with delight. "That is wonderful news. Someone like him can do so much good, even outside of this war."

"I'll need to meet him soon." Cere suddenly shifted her attention, looking at the communicator Steam had given her recently. "Seems like Steam is organizing a sort of meeting very soon… he wants two of our kin present."

Analia looked at her thoughtfully. "Who will you send?"

"I may attempt to send Therin and Kial. Therin is good with information, and I've had Kial working incredibly hard lately. He deserves a bit of a break, and seeing Rose again could do him good." Analia inclined her head, both silently agreeing with this plan and acknowledging what Cere had said. Cere suddenly made another connection and asked, "Have you met Steam?"

"No, but I have heard a bit about him from Sonic," Analia answered her. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wasn't sure if you knew who I was talking about," Cere said. "Long story short, he came from another timeline and is the Neutral Balancer. He's been helping your son's allies during this war."

"I have been told that much," Analia assured. "Sonic made sure to mention it."

Cere nodded. "Good to know. Have you been informed on what has happened recently?"

"Somewhat," Analia answered. "Enough to know the broad picture, if not the finer details."

Cere nodded again. "So you understand why Steam is calling for such a meeting?"

"Yes, I do," Analia said.

"Would you like to be involved in the meeting? We can make it so that you can communicate and offer guidance," Cere offered.

At this, Analia shook her head. "I cannot. I have my own task that I must accomplish. My full focus must be on that from the moment I begin."

Cere nodded gently in response. "I understand. Is it to do with that Light I can sense?"

Slowly, Analia opened her right hand to reveal the crystal she'd been clutching. "Yes. This Light… It was born with Eona. I hope to use it to save Kaden. Or, at least… to pave the way for that future."

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Cere said. "I believe you can."

Analia closed her hand around the gem again. "I can only hope it will be enough."

"We'll find a way even if it isn't," Cere murmured. "I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," Analia repeated softly. "I truly do."

Cere gave her a smile. "Onto less serious matters, have you noticed the number of revivals recently?"

"I have," Analia murmured. "It is incredible that so many familiar faces are returning after so, so long."

"It certainly is," Cere murmured. "I also noticed that a certain someone has finally left their realm. I haven't seen Eirza in some time now."

Analia smiled again. This time, her smile wasn't just warm and happy as usual. There was a touch of fierceness to it, a peek into her history as a powerful warrior countless eons ago. "She has a family to defend. I can understand her desire to personally see to it that things go well."

"I believe part of what spurred her into action was someone she has lent strength to," Cere said. "Someone opened a portal to her realm and left shortly after. They weren't dead, either, so Eirza likely knew them."

"Tempest," Analia supplied without missing a beat. "That would be her, I presume. Few others would risk going to such a volatile place."

Cere nodded easily. "Yeah. The situation with Calypso might have gotten her out of her neutral stance."

"Their bond is powerful. If it could not spur her into action, I firmly believe that nothing ever would have." Analia sighed a little. "Her help has been terribly missed thus far, but I am glad that she is ready now."

"She will be of great help, though I worry that she will be a bit rogue-ish. Tempest has always been a 'free spirit'," Cere commented.

"In the end, I believe that it will be alright," Analia told her. "If nothing else, Eirza will be sure to reign her in when needed."

Cere nodded. "That is true. I firmly believe she can." Analia returned her nod with another smile. "One more thing, how do you feel currently?"

"Better than I have been," Analia told her truthfully. "I know I am not fully recovered, but I am better."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cere asked with a smile. "We could all go take a short walk outside and give you a break from this bed."

Hearing this, Analia's eyes were full of delight and she couldn't help but beam at the other woman. "Oh, can we? I would love to!"

"Absolutely, my friend," Cere said gently. "I figured you may enjoy the prospect."

"Yes, I do," Analia said, pushing the blankets aside. She stepped into her sandals happily. Compared to the last time she'd stood, back when Rose had been here, she was far steadier on her feet.

Cere extended a hand to Analia. "Then let us go. I would like a bit of a break from my recent activities as well." Her gaze shifted to Finis. "You will join us, yes?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. That he hadn't been paying attention to their conversation at all was clear. "What?"

The Hexan laughed. "Get over here. We're going on a walk, and I won't have you ignoring me any more today."

"Ignoring?" Finis echoed dryly.

Analia smiled at the pair and started making her way out of the room. "Yes. Now, come on. I would very much like to see the world beyond my bedside window."

Cere simply grabbed Finish and began dragging him along with her magic. "That means now, hun." With this said, she followed Analia to leave. Huffing silently to himself, Finis floated after them with crossed arms.

It wasn't like he had a choice, anyway…

~保護者~

No way… That can't be right! Okay, hold up, calm down. Maybe he's just using his powers and that's why the readings are so high. ...No… the levels didn't peak and then go back down or anything. They're stable. What the heck happened? Supremely confused, Tails checked over all the data once and then twice more. Silver, what did you do? It's like you abruptly amplified your powers or something somehow...

In the end, there was no use stressing over it for now. Whatever was going on with his friend's mental powers, it didn't seem to be something he had to stress over. Still, with all the awful things that tended to happen, he decided to keep half an eye on things as he resumed working on his latest task. Currently, he was busy adding the finishing touches to the Tornado-Z, making sure it was fully fit and ready for combat. I can't risk another horrific crash like last time. Especially not if Wery is in here with me. I can regenerate, she can't. Fresh determination hit. He continued his work. The Tornado will survive whatever those demons throw at us. I'll make sure of it.

Wery lifted her head from the project she had just finished and blinked a few times. She could hear the difference in how he was working, funnily enough. "Is everything okay, Tails?"

"Yeah, just trying to make sure this thing is ready," Tails answered her. "It wrecked spectacularly the last time I used it, after all… I'm hoping that doesn't happen again, and that it'll withstand the impact if it does."

"That makes sense," Wery said in response. "What ideas do you have?"

"I mean, it's done already, more or less," Tails said, tossing her a brief smile. "I've made it tougher overall, so it doesn't break apart or get crushed so easily. It should be more aerodynamic than it was, too, and you already know the sorts of weapons that got packed into it."

The female fox nodded gently. "Yeah. Have you thought about employing the same technology we used for that barrier on a small-scale, or would we even be able to use the weapons with it up?"

"Got it covered," Tails told her. "We can't fire out of it, though. I did try to fix it but it is what it is, I guess."

"I'm not sure what else we could do," Wery said. "It seems like we've got most of our bases covered currently."

"Pretty much," Tails agreed. "It just makes me worried, is all. It doesn't matter as much when I'm the only one in it when it goes down, but when other people are in there with me it's… worrying."

Wery's ears drooped slightly and she nodded in understanding. "Yeah… I… yeah." She knew what he meant, it was just hard to say it.

Tails sighed. "But… at least, with any luck, that won't happen again."

"Even if I'm not in it, I'd really prefer it doesn't crash at all," she murmured softly.

"It won't be a big deal, so long as it's just me," he shrugged. "I'll heal, like I did last time."

Wery murmured something under her breath, idly fiddling with the device she was holding. "Yeah…"

"Are you okay?" Tails asked after a moment, looking back over his shoulder at her.

"I just… I don't like the idea of you going through that," Wery answered.

Lowering his tools, Tails turned to face her fully. "I'm okay, though," he reminded her quietly. "I don't even have a scar or anything."

Wery shifted her gaze away further. "It's not about the scars either," she countered. "I mean… that's a plane crash. It's just… I don't like the thought of you crashing."

Stifling a sigh, Tails said, "Well… that's what all of this is for. To help prevent that. And you helped with a lot of it, so you know just as well as me that this stuff should work as intended. So… try not to worry too much, okay?"

"Okay," she answered quietly. "I'll… try."

He set his tools down on the floor by where he'd been working and walked over to her. "Wery, are you okay? You aren't usually melancholy like this."

Wery froze up a little before gulping. "I don't… What if something happens to you?"

"It won't," Tails promised, with conviction. "Even if I screw up, I've got a bunch of people watching my back. Sonic, Shadow, Steam, Silver, Jet, Wave, and everyone else. We protect each other. I know we… we failed once to do that already, and we lost two very dear friends because of it. But that isn't going to happen again."

She sniffled and suddenly pulled him into a hug, holding him tighter than intended. "Are… you sure?"

Though startled a little by the grab, Tails hugged her back immediately. It was equal parts reflex and a genuine desire to try and comfort her. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'm sure."

Wery nodded and wiped at her eyes a little. "I just care about you… about everyone. You've all been really nice ever since I showed up."

Tails cracked a small smile. "You've been pretty nice yourself, you know. That goes a long way. And besides, in case you haven't noticed, we really love making friends around here. Hence there being so many of us and all. We all care about each other, and you're included in that now. We'll take care of one another like we always have, and we'll take care of you. That I can promise for sure."

The female fox suddenly sniffled again and held him just a little bit closer. "Thank you, so much, Tails…"

Her second shift of emotion left him slightly flustered, but he nevertheless lkpt hugging her back. "For what?" he asked carefully, not wanting to upset her further. "I haven't really done much…"

"You've done so much," Wery insisted. "You've kept inspiring me, worked with me, helped me refine inventions and showed me how our universe worked. So much more, but it all means so much to me."

"And you've been an amazing friend," Tails gently countered. "You've listened to all these problems from a bunch of people you've never met before, accepted our weird butts into your life, offered your help all over the place with all kinds of different things, offered further help going forward… I think I can speak for everyone when I say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for that. We're used to being totally self-reliant and operating apart from the rest of the world. Having someone like you come in and just… do all of this is amazing, Wery."

Wery stifled the urge to cry and just kept holding Tails in this hug in an attempt to keep herself calm. "It's the least I could do… We wouldn't be here without you guys."

That… ...Okay, so I guess that is kind of true. Looking around, Tails spied a couple of chairs close by. "Hey… do you want to sit down for a minute?"

She nodded a little, pulling back from the hug slowly. "That would be nice…" Returning her nod, Tails led her over to one of the chairs and sat her down in it. He then took up the one right beside her. Wery kept her gaze away still, but only because she really didn't want him to see that she'd been crying. In an effort to help her out, Tails awkwardly reached a hand out and rubbed her back in slow circles, trying to be soothing. The female fox stiffened for a moment at the touch, not fully expecting it before finally relaxing a bit. "Thank you, again…"

"Yeah, of course," Tails murmured. "Thank you, too."

Wery lifted her gaze to him and flashed a small smile. "Of course," she echoed gently. Tails offered her a lopsided smile, still worried for her but also feeling kind happy just sitting here with her. The female fox found herself blushing and suddenly stammering when she looked at his expression and his eyes, fumbling with the device in her hands before sheepishly chuckling. "I- uh…" She trailed off, unable to really come up with a topic to speak about.

Tails retracted his arm. "So… um, do you want a snack or anything? I'm thinking about making myself a bit of tea or something. I can get you whatever on the way back."

"Oh- I- sure," Wery answered, nodding quickly. "That would be nice."

Standing, Tails stretched a little. "Any particular flavor you want?"

"Just… whatever, honestly. I'm not picky," Wery answered.

"Okay. Be back in a few minutes." Tails gave her a small wave and hurried off.

As soon as he was out of sight, Wery let out a groan filled with frustration at herself. All you had to do was say it! It can't be that hard, right? Other people do this without an issue. She strapped the device she'd made onto her wrist and let the whip of energy latch onto her tablet (which was some distance away on a table) to bring it over to her. I'll just focus on something else, I guess… He's a friend, and I guess that's fine for me.

Around this time, she received a message from Kira. Wery checked the message and frowned a little. They'd been texting back and forth about what had happened since Wery showed up here, and all of a sudden Kira seemed to have caught on to how the fox was feeling about Tails.

Kira:

You like him. It's obvious, silly. Just talk to him. If he says no, you'll be able to respect that and respect yourself for doing it.

Wery:

It's not that easy, you know. I can't just go to him and say it outright.

Kira:

Sure you can. Just tell him. Don't think about it. Just get it done.

Wery rolled her eyes and set the tablet aside, sighing. Of course you'd think so. You find things so much easier to do than I. The fox let out a sigh, deciding to just wait for Tails to return. She was still a bit anxious and hoped the tea would help. Eventually, Tails made his way back into the workshop and returned to his seat. He handed Wery a cup with the standard warning of, "Careful, it's still hot."

The female fox carefully accepted the cup with a thankful nod before taking a sip and immediately realizing that it was indeed incredibly hot. Ow.

Tails smiled sheepishly. "I did warn you," he chuckled.

Wery chuckled as well before setting the cup down and letting out a deep breath. Just get it done… "H-hey, Tails? Can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, sure," Tails invited easily. "Anything."

The female fox let out another deep breath. "So… I came here as an inventor that kinda just… followed in your footsteps to try and do stuff like you did." She shifted her gaze somewhere else. "And… well… we've been working together a lot since then. I've learned so much and done so much with you…" Wery trailed off, unsure of how exactly to continue from there.

For now, Tails decided to stay quiet, wanting to let her have a chance to say everything that was on her mind. She eventually coughed to interrupt what she was saying before. "I… it's… hard to explain. I've never been in a situation like this where someone is this nice and helpful besides… well… Kira. I… I-" Wery let out a sigh as Kira's text came back to mind. "I… think I… like you," she admitted quietly.

Rather than be stunned into silence like some of his friends might have, Tails stared at her with wide eyes and blurted out, "R-Really?"

Wery gulped and nodded quickly, a bit faster than she would've liked as her gaze shifted to the floor. "Y-yeah… I know it's kinda sudden and all, and we haven't known each other long…" she trailed off, mumbling to herself.

"W-Well, that's good, I think, 'cause… well…" Tails looked away, flustered. He drummed his fingers on his cup before quickly setting it aside, lest his fidgeting cause any of the hot liquid to spill. He turned back to her after that was accomplished and forced himself to admit, "I kinda think that I like you, too."

The female fox was stunned to hear those words, her ears perking as her tail flicked lightly. "Y-you… you… mean it?" she asked, turning to face him as well.

Tails shuffled a bit in his seat under her scrutiny, but didn't waver in his conviction. "Y… Yeah. Really."

Her tail flicked again in response and she let our a sigh. "So… what is it that we do? I've never been in a situation like this," she admitted.

"Not a clue," Tails said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I haven't done this before, either."

"Well… for now… let's focus on getting everything finished?" Wery murmured before her attention was suddenly grabbed by another message. Her gaze snapped to the doorway, but she didn't see what she expected, which caused her to frown for a moment. Her words worked once… she thought to herself. But come on… She didn't have to know I actually went with it.

Seeing her gaze stray, Tails peered over that way. Seeing no one, he frowned in confusion. However, he opted not to question it. "Getting back to work sounds good. I've got some personal weapons I really need to get up and running, anyway."

Wery cleared her throat before saying, "Uh… h-hey, Tails?"

Tails turned back to face her. "Yeah?"

Just get it done, Wery thought to herself before pulling Tails into a short and somewhat awkward kiss. Stunned though he was, Tails was pretty quick to basically melt into it and respond. Wery couldn't make herself keep it up for long and pulled back gently, Turning her gaze away with her cheeks burning. "I… sorry," she murmured quietly.

A little shocked still, his namesakes even a bit puffy as a result of the emotion, Tails shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. It… It's fine. Promise."

"...Promise?" Wery echoed quietly, turning her head back to look at him again.

"Uh-huh," Tails told her, now feeling just as flustered as her. But in a strangely good way.

Wery smiled a little before looking to the Tornado. "Maybe it would be good for us to install a backup thrust system that can operate separately from the main systems in case things get damaged?" she asked, trying to shift the topic for both of their sakes.

"That sounds good, actually," Tails agreed. "But I've gotta prioritize these weapons first. If push comes to shove, I've gotta have a means of fighting back on the ground without hurting other people. I can help you with the thrusters after I'm done with those."

Wery nodded with a smile. "I've already got some I made a while back. They just need to be upgraded."

"And those'll work wonders for everyone else," Tails assured her. "B-u-u-ut I have to stick with a special design I created a long time ago. It's tried and true and really, really for the best. Trust me on that one."

"Huh?" Wery questioned lightly. "What is it?"

"Um… Well, do you remember how I said that these," he twirled his namesakes for emphasis, "were the result of a mutation?"

Wery nodded. "Yep. I remember that," she answered.

"Well, that mutation wasn't exactly random in the truest sense. See… I've got a potentially really nasty power that causes stuff like that to happen." Tails pointed to his glasses on a nearby table. "That's also why I sometimes have to wear those in order to see properly. A new mutation caused me to develop a new power that makes me see things at the microscopic level without those special lenses managing my vision. Just… as an example."

"I… see," Wery answered in a murmur. It made enough sense, she supposed.

"To put it really bluntly," Tails continued, "it's radiation. Really, really volatile radiation that can pretty much kill off anything that isn't me. So if I want to use it at all, I have to channel it through special firearms. That way, the energy is contained in bullets or whatever else until it hits the target, and the second the enemy is dead I can make the energy vanish again. Of course, normal bullets don't work for that, though, or normal guns… hence the special inventions."

Wery gave a nod in response. "I get what you're saying."

"After I'm done with those, I can help you with the thrusters," Tails smiled. "Okay?"

"Alright, I'll get back to tweaking a few other designs of mine," Wery answered easily.

Tossing her a grin, Tails hurried off to do his work. Wery followed in his footsteps with a small smile on her face, placing a few things onto the table before thinking to grab her tablet.

Wery:

You were definitely right.

~保護者~

The feeling of a small body crawling over him roused Shadow from his sleep. He woke further when said small body wiggled in between him and Toru before sighing contentedly. Cracking open an eye, he looked at Lia in silence. She appeared to be returning to sleep again already, somehow. He looked to Toru next. If the man had been disturbed by this intrusion at all, he didn't show it. Shadow shifted a little, pressing closer to the back of the couch in an effort to give the other two a bit more room in this crowded space. He then did his best to resume his own rest.

When he woke next, it was because Lia was half-kneeling on him as she shook Toru for… some reason. "Psst!" she whisper-yelled in that special way that only kids could manage. "When will daddy be up? I'm hungry!" Ah, so that was it. It had been a little while since he'd last fed her, he supposed.

Toru cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow at her. "You need something to eat, Lia?" The chameleon asked softly.

The little girl nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh. We had snacks at nana's, but I'm still hungry and daddy's asleep."

"Get down off the couch and I can make everyone something to eat, if you'd like. You should let him sleep for a little while," Toru said softly, slipping himself away from the couch already.

Lia climbed down after him. "You can cook, too? My auntie and my nana and my papa and my daddy can all cook, too. But not my uncle. He's not allowed in the kitchen. There's a rule."

"Is that so?" Toru asked, already beginning to walk off to the kitchen. Somehow, mere moments after he and Lia made it out of the living room, Shadow managed to drift off again. "Why is that?"

She trotted after him happily, all the while explaining, "He always burns stuff. Especially the food, but sometimes he catches other stuff on fire, too."

Toru chuckled. "I definitely don't do that," the chameleon assured. "But I'll keep that in mind should I ever see him."

"He made a pizza turn into a flaming frisbee one time on accident!" Lia whispered conspiratorially. "But don't tell him I told you!"

The chameleon stifled a laugh before nodding. "He'll never know. That much I can assure."

"Okay." Lia smiled at him. "What're you going to cook?"

"Not sure yet. That's something I usually try to figure out when I'm looking around," Toru answered.

Wandering into the kitchen, Lia looked around. "How come there are no snacks? Daddy always buys me snacks."

Toru glanced to her. "You haven't been around for a little bit, and we've had a lot happen recently. He hasn't had a chance to get them just yet," he explained.

"Oh. Okay." Lia stood there for a moment. Then she asked, "Did you pick what to cook yet? My belly is empty and I'm hungry."

"Is there anything specific you'd like? Might influence my decision," Toru said.

"Dada and I don't like fruits and vegetables very much," Lia told him matter-of-factly. "Soren, either. Something without those might be yummy."

Knocks out some of my ideas, sadly. "Anything else I should know?"

"Um…" Lia thought a little, then smiled. "Dada likes sweets! And so do I! Can we make cookies? Or brownies? Or- Or something else like that?"

"Maybe after we make a normal meal. Sweets aren't a good replacement," Toru said lightly.

Immediately, she pouted. "Aww. Now you sound like Soren."

"I gotta take care of you guys, and that includes making sure you eat well," Toru explained.

"I know," Lia mumbled, disappointed. She hesitated for a moment before walking over to the counter and climbing up onto it. She used her new vantage point to point to the top of the fridge, where an inconspicuous container had been placed. "That has rice in it. Dada used to make us fried rice sometimes to go with lunch or dinner. It was the best when there were eggs in it."

Toru chuckled gently. "I think I can work with that. Hop down, kiddo, and I'll get to it."

"Okay." Lia climbed down with a touch of effort. Once her feet were firmly planted on the floor, she asked, "How come daddy's sleeping so long? I wanna play with him."

"He's been through a lot recently, on top of not being able to sleep well. You should let him rest, okay?" Toru asked as he collected the rice.

More pouting was aimed at him, but when it didn't elicit the desired response she just huffed. "Okay, I guess… But I'm bored."

"Have you seen Myriu?" Toru questioned. "You might be able to play with her."

Ruby eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! Can I play with her? Will she be okay with it?"

Toru nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Just go ask her."

"Okay!" Lia dashed off, only to reappear again a second later just to say, "Bye, Mister! See you later!" With that, she took off again.

"See ya, Lia," Toru chuckled as he began preparing to cook.

Elsewhere in the house, in their father's room, Lia's running footsteps finally managed to wake Soren up. He unintentionally jumped a bit, causing him to fall out of the bed with a thud. "Ow… Jeez, this floor is hard." With a sigh, he collected himself and disentangled his legs from the blankets before standing up. Heading to the door, he started to open it and exit, but paused when he sensed that Shadow was still lying down on the couch in the living room. The only one out and about aside from Lia was… Okay, so I live in here now. That's fine. I didn't need a social life, anyway. Shyness and nerves hitting all at once, he quickly returned to the bed and sat down on it.

It was only a few minutes before a knock came at the door, a gentle series of three taps obviously meant to not wake the hedgehog sleeping in the living room.

Cringing, Soren stood back up. Crap. Did he notice me? Full of trepidation, he walked over to the door and tugged it open.

Caer was standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall. "Everything okay? Noticed that you turned around when you started to leave the room."

"Um…" Soren tried to quickly place the man, but soon decided that he didn't really recognize him. Though, he suspected he might have caught sight of him once or twice before. Maybe. "Um… Y-Yeah, it's fine. I'm fine. Just- Thought I'd stay put."

"Do you want to step outside without waking your father?" Caer asked gently. "My son is currently cooking."

Black ears flicked nervously. "Outside?" Soren echoed. "Why?"

"I figured you might want to leave that room for a few minutes, and I haven't met you yet. I thought it would be good to introduce myself rather than waiting for Toru to do it for me," Caer said. "'Course, you don't have to. If you'd rather not, I can leave you be."

Soren took in a breath. Calm down, stupid. You never get this nervous around anyone else. Just 'cause this guy might be related somehow doesn't mean you need to freak. He took in another breath and did his best to let out slowly. "Um… outside is okay. I guess."

Caer nodded and teleported them both outside a short distance from the home, stretching out and taking a seat. "I've been meaning to get out of that house a bit more. No offense, but wide open areas are more my style." Soren nodded a little and awkwardly sat down a couple of feet away. "So, you're Shadow's kid, yeah? What's he like?"

"U-Um… I mean…" Soren trailed off, then looked away. Doing his best to pretend he was talking to someone he knew already, he mumbled, "You know how hard that is to answer, right? My dad is really complicated. His life, personality, and everything else are just complicated. That's how it's always been."

"That's a good answer," Caer said with a gentle smile. "You're really intelligent if you can see it that way." Now a little embarrassed, Soren mumbled some vague reply and kept looking away. Caer raised an eyebrow at this and decided to ask something. "You alright? Am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

With an awkward cough, Soren glanced very briefly at him. "I just get… kinda nervous around new people. It's not usually this bad. I guess I'm just being extra stupid today. Don't mind me."

"That's reasonable," Caer answered. "Don't berate yourself for it, though."

Right… Dad always said something similar. Though, he used different words. "I guess."

Caer frowned in thought for a moment before commenting, "Your energy reminds me of my Son, somewhat."

"Oh. Um… about that…" Reaching into one of his jacket pockets, Soren pulled out the tattered photograph he'd shown Toru not all that long ago. He'd reacted to the mere sight of Toru without even thinking, and now he mostly just wanted to avoid the man. Wrong or right, I shouldn't have done that. Especially not that soon. Sighing, he reluctantly handed it over to Caer. "That's the only picture I ever had of my dad, back in the timeline I come from. Only, instead of seeing Lia's mom in it like I expected, it has that g- I mean… um, Toru, in it instead."

The chameleon inspected the picture quietly before nodding slowly. "Have you talked to him about it?" Caer asked.

"I might've… mentioned it," Soren mumbled. "But nothing really happened."

"He might be trying to give you space," Caer said gently. "Shadow means a lot to him, so he doesn't want to do anything that may cause an upset. Especially not with his kids."

"It's pretty hard to upset him, you know," Soren said. "Like, genuinely. He gets irritated and stuff pretty easily sometimes, but anything beyond that is really hard to do in my experience. Just saying."

Caer shrugged. "Makes sense. I recommend you talk to Toru about it sometime soon, though. It'll be better on you if you get that off your chest."

Soren felt his ears go back. "But I can't just do that!" he protested quietly. "There are so many ways it could go wrong, and I don't want to make a mess of things just because I opened my big mouth…"

"Tell me what you think can go wrong, then," Caer said.

Sighing, Soren held up a finger. "Main thing: he reacts badly in some way, and/or doesn't want anything to do with this."

"Or, he ends up happy to know he has a child and wants to get closer with you," Caer countered without missing a beat.

"Or he isn't and doesn't," Soren mumbled. "Most people wouldn't be happy to have some random ratty teen waltz into their life. Especially when said ratty teen is too ridiculous to even talk to them."

"You're calling yourself ratty?" Caer cut in. "I don't think he'd have a single issue with you, honestly," the man said.

"Why are you so sure?" Soren finally asked. "I mean, I know you know him and all. But, like… beyond that."

Caer chuckled. "You're looking at everything that can go wrong instead of everything that can go right. Even ignoring that, you should at least acknowledge that good things can happen."

"Where I come from," Soren said dully, "everything that ever could have gone wrong did go wrong. Everybody who could have ever mattered to me died, and so did virtually everyone else. Being optimistic is a fool's errand and tends to get people maimed and killed. Being realistic about how bad things are or can be tends to keep you alive for at least one more day."

"Yet, only focusing on everything that can go wrong gives you a point of view that's all one-sided," Caer countered. "Being realistic is understandable, but I think that I've got you on this one."

"I don't understand hope," Soren admitted. "Lia's full of it. I always try to help her keep it alive and all that because it's part of who she is, but I never really understood it or how someone can feel so much of it. Dad's always seemed wary of it, too."

"People with dark and rough pasts will often have that sort of outlook," Caer commented. "You are no exception."

"What do I do?" Soren finally found the courage to look at Caer directly. "I don't want to think this is all going to go to hell, but it's so hard not to."

Caer thought about it for a moment. "Your best bet would be to just try and do it. You'll never know the outcome unless you try."

"I'm not good at spontaneity, either," Soren grumbled, dropping his gaze again. How can he make it sound so easy?"

"You don't have to be spontaneous," Caer explained. "Ask him basic things like I just did. Be friendly before breaching the subject. He'll understand and listen to you."

"But I don't know how," Soren protested. "If I even try, I'm just going to end up stuttering and clamming up all over again. I barely spoke to him the first time."

Caer thought about this quietly before nodding. "How about you just preface the conversation with that? Let him guide the conversation and try to work your way through. If you don't get it the first time, try again later."

I want to sink into a hole already. Soren chewed at his lower lip for a bit before speaking again. "Trying again a third time sounds excruciating," he admitted quietly.

"Would you like help, then?" Caer asked. "I'd be glad to help you speak to him."

Soren's gaze swung back up to him. "You… You'd do that?"

Caer chuckled. "'Course, kid. You're important to my son, so I won't even ask for a favor in return," the man joked, winking. "I'd be happy to help, if you'll let me."

"Can you?" Soren almost pleaded. "I'd really like to not go there by myself."

"Sure," Caer said. "Whenever you're ready."

"More like when you are," Soren wound up saying. "Not like I'm leaving the house again anytime soon."

"Now, then," Caer answered without hesitation.

Sighing, Soren stood. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Caer shrugged gently. "It's probably for the best if we get that done soon." Soren nodded a little, since logically he knew Caer was right. Caer teleported them both inside, within the kitchen some few feet from Toru as he cooked. "Hey, mind if I ask you something?"

Toru shifted his gaze over with a raised eyebrow, glancing between him and Soren for a moment. "What's up?"

"He wants to talk to you about something, but he's worried that you'll get upset or it'll cause problems," Caer explained without hesitation.

The onyx chameleon turned his attention fully to Soren with a soft smile. "I understand. Whatever you wanna talk about, I promise I'll keep an open mind. Sound good?"

Eyes downcast and ears low, Soren uneasily mumbled, "...Okay…"

Caer gently nudged Soren's shoulder. "I'm gonna step away for a second. If you need me, just come find me." He walked off to leave the two to talk.

Toru gave a gentle motion, urging him to say whatever was on his mind. "What's up, Soren?"

Soren shoved his hands deep into his pockets, taking a couple tiny steps back. Whatever miniscule courage he had worked up before had promptly fled as soon as he'd come in here and he found himself barely audibly mumbling a reply. "It's… n… nothing… Never mind…"

"Soren," Toru responded gently. "Come on, you can talk to me. I promise."

"It's nothing," Soren insisted, ears going down lower. "It's not important."

Toru turned his attention back to the food. "Is it about that picture?" he questioned lightly. "Did you want to talk about that?" Almost startled, Soren quickly looked up at him. He dropped his gaze a moment and later and shrugged. "Well, if that's it, then let me know what you're thinking," Toru invited, turning a smile in Soren's direction. "Like I said, you can talk to me. I promise it'll be okay."

"I don't know. Talking is hard." Soren leaned against a wall unhappily. Why can't either of you just let me give up and go back to dad's room?

"Well… what's the picture for? Start with that," Toru answered gently.

"For"? What? "It's just special," Soren sighed. "That's all. It was all I ever had to remind me of my dad."

"'Dad'?" Toru lightly echoed. "I vaguely remember seeing two people."

"It probably doesn't mean anything," Soren said quietly, looking away further. "There's no reason why it would."

Toru let out a soft sigh, a touch concerned for Soren in this moment. "Soren, if you didn't think it meant anything, you wouldn't be talking to me. I saw the picture."

"I'm only in here because of that other guy," Soren countered, though without any heat or harshness.

"If I tell you something… will you promise not to say anything to Lia or anyone else?" Toru suddenly asked in a hushed tone.

A touch curious in spite of himself, Soren glanced at him, his ears slightly upraised again. "...What?" he asked warily.

"If you're thinking that the picture is more dads, instead of just one dad… You're probably right," Toru murmured slowly. "And I won't pretend that it isn't possible."

"Wait, what?" Soren blurted out, eyes wide. He was staring at Toru now. "But that crazy research I found in my timeline… I thought there was no way it could be right."

"We can talk about all of that in much more detail when something comes up soon," Toru answered. "Just know that it is possible. If it is, well, I'm always gonna be here for you." The chameleon thought for a moment before adding with a bright smile, "I'd be here for you either way, honestly."

"Why?" Soren found himself asking. "You don't even know me."

Toru shrugged. "What matters is if you're willing to believe me. I'm standing here, cooking for everyone in this house despite not knowing a few of them." He chuckled a little. "You're included in the people I'm doing that for, Soren."

"But why?" Soren insisted, more confused than ever. "I don't understand. Almost no one is that nice."

"I want to. Plain and simple," Toru answered.

"And you're not… mad?"

Toru shook his head. "Not at all."

Soren decided to force himself to be brave long enough to ask, "And you're staying? You won't… leave?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Toru assured. "I'll fight to the death for all of you, if I have to."

It was quiet for a few moments before Soren glanced out of the room toward where Shadow was still sleeping. "I guess I understand why dad is friends with you. You're not like most people we know."

"I try to be a little different," Toru said with a soft chuckle. "But I mostly just focus on being a good person for the people I care about."

"Lia likes you, too," Soren continued. "She kinda likes everyone, but not enough to be so polite as to call them 'mister'."

"And you?" Toru questioned softly. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Soren shrugged. "Seeing you the first time scared me way more than it should have."

Toru nodded slowly in vague understanding before offering advice. "Just take your time and go one step after another. You don't have to dive headfirst with me. Whatever you need to do to feel comfortable, just do it and I'll respect that."

"I want to try," Soren told him, albeit with a touch of renewed nervousness. "I don't like being this jittery and upset. It's almost never this bad."

"And that's fine. Everyone has their strong suits and weaknesses," Toru said with a shrug. "Just keep making an effort. If it's too much, then it's too much, ya know?" Soren nodded a little. "By the way, do you like anything specific in your rice?" the chameleon suddenly asked.

"Oh. Um… chicken is good." Soren peered over at what Toru was doing. "You're making fried rice?"

"Haven't had a chance to stock this place yet, sadly," Toru answered. "I'd be making something a bit more extravagant alongside it, normally."

That finally coaxed a smile out of Soren, though he didn't notice it. "Our granddad likes to cook, too. He'd probably do the same thing if he was here. He's the one who taught dad and tried to teach our uncle. That didn't go well, though."

Toru laughed openly, taking silent note of the smile. He didn't want to say anything lest Soren lose it. "So I've heard. Is it really that bad?"

"Lia told you the 'flaming frisbee' thing. And that was pretty mild. One time, Uncle Sonic caught the whole kitchen on fire without even using his fire powers." Soren shook his head, dismayed. "Dad chewed him out for that, since it was so ridiculous. Granddad just made the fires go away and tried to fix everything."

The chameleon snickered at this and shook his head. "If I'm cooking, he better not come remotely near the kitchen. I will not have anyone ruining my streak of perfection."

"Like Lia said, there's a rule," Soren shrugged. "Aunt Amy implemented it, so he won't break it. He can't go in any kitchen with intention to cook or while someone else already is cooking."

Toru nodded slowly. "That's important."

Soren took that moment to check the freezer. "Aw, dad doesn't even have any chicken. That sucks."

"I'll make sure we get some stuff to stock the house with food," Toru answered lightly. "I don't like having such a limited selection."

"Why is it so empty, anyway?" Soren complained, closing the freezer again. He checked the fridge and a couple cupboards next. "There aren't even any chips."

"As far as I know, he's been on his own for a little while," Toru said. "That might be why."

Soren made a face. "How long is a little while? I'm pretty sure it's been longer than that implies."

"I don't know for sure," Toru answered with a shrug. "But it's been quite some time that he's lived alone."

Well that's awful. Mood sufficiently dampened again, Soren sighed. "Oh. Okay."

"He's not alone now, though, and I won't let him be alone," Toru assured gently. "Besides, he's got you and Lia, too. That'll surely help."

"Yeah. I guess so." Soren eyed the food for a second. "How much longer until we can eat?"

"I'd give it another minute. Mind waking up Shadow for me?" Toru asked. "If he can eat, I'd like him to."

"...If he can?" Soren questioned, puzzled. "Is he sick?" That almost never happens.

Sick is… almost right. "No, but he's been having some trouble with eating lately," Toru explained. "It has to do with what I said we could talk about in more detail soon."

"Okay." Soren was happy to duck out of the room, disappearing around the corner with haste.

Toru glanced down at the rice with a faint smile. Even if neither of you are my kids, I'll absolutely take care of you as if you were. He shifted his gaze in the direction of where Soren had gone and chuckled. Never did I think that I'd have a family like this, and I somehow couldn't be happier.

~保護者~

Novei had chosen to stay on Babylon in light of events regarding Calypso. That was her aunt, someone she cared about deeply. To some degree, she had done so even before Li taught her how to experience such strong emotion. Seeing Calypso's current physical state alone had pained her, but eventually learning that Nareish had forcefully taken her magic? That stung. She was unwilling to leave for right now, and Li understood that. He went back to his forge, presumably to finish some project someone had asked for.

The Therian had left the medical wing some time ago and was laying down in a sitting room, an arm under her head to improvise as a pillow. She had been sleeping fine, but this whole situation left her feeling drained and tired.

Her temper suddenly sparked and she sat up, hands glowing with her magic. Novei didn't understand why she was so pissed off all of a sudden, but it made sense soon enough as her mother appeared. Tempest was unusually quiet as she walked in and took a seat away from Novei. Her silence prompted Novei to speak. "Why are you here?"

"I came to check on you," Tempest answered. "I assumed you would take the situation with your aunt just as badly as I have. It seems you are feeling worse, in some ways."

Novei practically scoffed and looked away. "Doesn't matter. I'd rather not talk about it."

"We don't have to," Tempest answered, crossing her legs and arms. "I came primarily to speak to you."

Novei's harsh gaze shifted to Tempest. "Why?"

Tempest let out a soft sigh. "We are not close. We have not been in quite some time, yet you are my daughter. I would wish to be able to speak to you without bursting into argument."

"What does it fucking matter?" Novei suddenly snapped, pushing herself to stand. "You became uninterested in being involved in the life of anyone else! You hardly spoke to anyone. All of a sudden you want to get close to me again? Bullshit." When Tempest went to speak, Novei only started again, but louder. "I do not want to hear it! I found a life for myself without you. Go back to yours without me." Novei then teleported away with her magic, leaving Tempest alone in the room.

She couldn't find the right emotion to place on this. This wasn't sadness… not as she understood it. She wasn't angry, either. This puzzled her and left her concerned. Tempest cared for her daughter, but never once knew how to show it. Eirza said to leave no regrets… yet I now have more. This advice was incredibly unhelpful.

Tempest sighed and stood, stepping out of the room and playing with the various rings and other pieces of jewelry she wore daily. She'd taken to making jewelry as a way to pass time, and so it brought her a touch of comfort to have them in her possession, but this time it didn't help. That feeling was still eating at her, no matter what she tried to do to handle it. A spark of anger at her own incompetence resulted in one of her rings snapping off her finger. Tempest practically hissed and lobbed the broken jewelry further down the hallway before stalking off in the direction she'd come.

This was a pointless visit, after all.

~保護者~

14,670 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 10:20 p.m.) 03-23-21.