"Quit pacing, Chandra."

Pia had done her best to try and keep her daughter calm as they were surrounded by the beauty of the section of school known as Haven – a colloquial shortening of it's real name due to its isolation and natural splendour. Even with Winter yellowing the grass, the botany department had cycled in a beautiful assortment of green, pink and white flowers that thrived in the cold.

Chandra was fervently running her hands through her hair while she glided back and forth, her eyes darting between her mother and the entrance of Haven where her step family would be coming. "Was this a bad idea?" She noticed her mother role her eyes, an admittedly fair response to that question being asked for the 16th time today. "What if they hate it?"

"You have nothing to worry about," Pia said mommishly. "Claire said it was smart. She would know better than anyone."

"Claire," Chandra seethed, "is a damn psycopa-" The younger Nalaar had been fixated on her mother, so it was fortunate that Pia motioned her daughter to shut it as she could now feel the Vess' presence behind her. They probably didn't catch what Chandra was about to say.

"You were right," Liliana said softly enough that she must have been speaking to her father who had, according to plan, accompanied his daughter. "It is quite beautiful here."

Ever since Chandra met Claire in person, anytime her girlfriend spoke, it got her like a paper cut – such a harmless source with an aggravating result. Chandra asked herself time and time again, how could anyone, let alone her mother, treat someone so pure and sweet with such cold appathy? Moreso, how could Liliana come out of such a childhood to be as good as she was?

Liliana redirected her attention toward Chandra and said, "though I am still unclear as to why we are here." She spoke with concern in her voice. There was no doubt that Liliana had noticed her girlfriends' stressed state over the past five days and likely assumed this had something to do with, which was accurate.

An impulse to chew her nails was squelched by slapping her hand against her thigh; Chandra spoke in a nervous squeak. "Okay, I know I've been a huge fuck up the past few months." Fully focused on Liliana, Chandra had no idea what her mother's or step-father's reaction to this statement was.

This had nothing to do with indifference to the rest of her family. Her desire to do right by her dead father and living mother was as much a part of her personality as ever and even Jovi had earned her respect and compassion, but since Chandra met Liliana, there was no one she had hurt more. Here her girlfriend was looking confused at the idea that there had been an overabundance of wrongdoing.

All the explosions of anger, the initial loathing of the Vess family, running away, almost getting them arrested, actually getting them arrested, assaulting her twice and almost getting both of them killed. Liliana had looked past all of it which made Chandra feel all the worse for it. She knew there was no way to make up for the horrible person she was, but today she could at least give back something.

"Follow me."

At the back of Haven was the entrance to a botanical garden. Every once in a while, the school would slap some pretty decor inside the well maintained collection of beauty for festivals but most of the year, it was a place of learning for the botany department – for students and professors that were really just passionate and educated gardeners.

Inside there were a few dead plants, by design, but for the most part, it was a spectacle. The same white, green and yellow assortments from outside were here on a massive scale, but every other colour Chandra could name was featured in some capacity. As impressive as it was, she gave it no mind while silently leading her company through the path that felt like a very simple maze, ignoring the chatter behind her.

At all times through the walkway, a tall thicket obscured the wide open enclave at the centre of the garden. As they approached the heart, Chandra could feel her own creeping further up her throat. She got to the end of the maze half a minute before everyone else and turned around to gauge Jovi and Liliana's reaction when they emerged.

When the two came into view once more, both Vess' quickly looked past the small fountains, the tables and various tiny pots. Jovi's mouth silently opened and closed and Liliana muttered something about the spirits as her eyes welled up.

The four of them now stood face to face with the statue of the late Josu Vess.

Liliana turned to Chandra, choking up. "You did this?"

No amount of pessimism or negative thinking could misinterpret this. It was as clear as the sky above them that Chandra had done right by her girlfriend and step-father. "It was really your mother that-"

That was when Chandra's own mother interrupted. "This was all because of Chandra." Pia smiled at her daughter and they silently agreed that this was a win she earned. "Claire did help though."

Jovi was still caught in silence, staring at his immortalized son, but Liliana and Chandra's eyes were locked on to each other. Chandra was quite confident it was her partner's time to speak but that kept not happening, so she nervously tried to fill the void. "You told me he was into flowers and stuff. I thought he might like a quiet spot to be around them."

Liliana ran to Chandra first, tears noticeably running down her face. The two wrapped each other in their arms as silent sobs of joy were muffled by the redhead's shoulder. Jovi followed his daughter, placed a hand on Chandra's, saying in a hoarse and quiet voice, "thank you." He quickly moved to his wife's side, letting his girls have their moment.

After some blissful silence, Chandra said, "it didn't cost anything either. You said he wouldn't have wanted to buy his way in somewhere, so I made sure."

Liliana pulled away just far enough for her confused red eyes to meet Chandra's. "How is that possible?"

Jovi answered, "Claire is nothing if not persuasive."

Chandra nodded with a hint of exaggerated terror on her face. "She reminded the board of directors that your family had a long standing history with the school and it would be the morally correct thing to do." Liliana looked unconvinced, like there was more to say.

"She maaaay have also threatened them with the damage an important historical figure like her could have on the school's relationship with Kamigawan students." That proved sufficient. "The point is, he's here because of your families reputation. Maybe the Vess' have done some immoral things, but I know there was a lot of good there too."

Liliana gave a heartwarming authentic grin at the praise before turning to her father. "We should let mom know she can come see it now."

Good vibes, like all things, are destined to end.

Chandra got quieter and could feel the tension from her mother. "About that," she gestured towards some flowers at the base of the statue that had gone unnoticed. "I'm so sorry. I tried to get her to stay."

Liliana looked a little defeated and not at all surprised, walking closer to the statue of her late brother, she didn't look as upset as Chandra had expected, but she still pressed the issue, softly enough that no one else heard. "Maybe this isn't the time and maybe you don't want to hear this, but what the hell is wrong with your mother?"

Liliana didn't get offended by the question, or phased in any way. Chandra saw her girlfriend's hand rising up softly to touch her, to reassure her, holding back at the last second for their parents' sake. "I know you are the last person I need to tell how much it would have meant to have her by my side when I lost my brother."

"But that is in the past now. There may be few days that I do not feel the emptiness Josu left in me, but now I can find the strength to handle it on my own." Liliana inched closer to Chandra and grabbed her hand. An innocent enough gesture and their parents were likely too fixated on the monument to notice. "And the days I cannot, I have my family to support me, right?"

Chandra nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt that she would likely never feel the same way about Jovi that Liliana felt about Pia.

Liliana's words also forced Chandra to reflect on the situation. She had felt an all-consuming grief when her father had died, and to this day, would give anything to have him back. It seemed only natural that everyone would have such powerful ties to their parents.

Maybe it was because Claire was a lousy mother, or perhaps the fact that, even though they never spoke, Liliana knew her mother was still out there. Whatever the case, maybe it made sense that Liliana didn't hate the callous woman.

Logical or not, Chandra was unconvinced and it must have shown. Liliana said, "My mother may be cold, but she still loves me." She knelled down to get closer to the flowers and it was the first time Chandra got a close look at them, seeing that there were two bouquets.

Liliana gently lifted one of them, looked up and smiled. "Lilies."

Kneeling down with her partner, Chandra was confused by the cliche. "You like lilies?"

Liliana snorted, discarding the dignity of the situation. "I always hated them. To have my name attached to something so plain was a sore spot for me. Josu insisted we grow them every year, and as close to my bedroom as possible."

She's making it sound like Claire actually has a sense of humour, but that can't be right.

Liliana returned the flowers to their rightful place and both girls knelled at the statue's base for several moments of silence. Eventually, Jovi joined them which prompted his daughter to trace a blank figure at the base. It was a quick motion, so all Chandra caught was a square with two curved lines coming from its bottom.

Jovi drew his own invisible mark, three separate figures that Chandra couldn't even describe. She had no idea what this was for, which probably meant it was incredibly important, but she was far too awkward to ask for risk of looking stupid or insensitive. Instead, she sat silently and patiently, killing time by filling her mind with various thoughts, constantly coming back to the same one.

I wonder exactly how weird it be to kiss her in front of the statue.