[11 Years Ago]
A young Zhang lay asleep against Ch'en as she and Hoshiguma sorted through some files.
"Say, Ch'en..." Hoshi suddenly spoke quietly.
"Hm?" Ch'en replied.
"Shouldn't this work wait for when your back at the office. rather than in your living room?" Hoshiguma asked.
"Hoshi, somethings can't be delayed." Ch'en sipped her drink. "These are some of those things. They need affirmation from me, and me only."
Hoshiguma simply nodded as her gaze slowly drifted downwards and landed on Zhang.
"Ch'en..." She spoke again. "Let me just ask you something else, something I've been thinking about..."
"Go ahead." Ch'en met Hoshiguma's eyes.
"Who...exactly was the father of Zhang?" The conviction in the question's delivery was clear.
Ch'en thought for a moment.
"I've already told you." She tried to dismiss the conversation.
"No, Ch'en, what you told me is that he was one of the medical personnel at Rhodes Island." Hoshiguma reiterated. "That doesn't give me a lot to go on."
"Why do you need to know more than that?" Ch'en responded. "Am I not allowed to have some semblance of a private life?"
"It's not that, Ch'en." Hoshiguma said softly. "I just feel like I deserve to know, as your closest associate. I guess I was naive to assume you'd ever talk about something like that though..."
Hoshiguma sighed and returned to shuffling papers.
"...Alright." Ch'en relented. "I'll tell you a little."
The oni returned her gaze to her dragon colleague.
"He..." Ch'en began. "He was pretty much the exact opposite of me, but that's what I loved. He could get a genuine laugh out me. And conversely, I would get a bit annoyed at his slacking off."
"How is that a good thing?" Hoshiguma interjected.
"It...It wasn't real annoyance." Ch'en defended. "I think it was because I envied his carefree attitude, yet still knew he had a job to do. Gradually, as I spent more and more time at Rhodes, we just clicked even more. I opened up more to him than anybody else."
"...Can you tell me his name, or anything that might help me recognize him?" Hoshiguma inquired.
"Ah, h-his codename was Echinacea." Ch'en explained. "After the herb..."
"Oh, yes, I knew him." Hoshiguma lent back in her chair. "The Forte with black hair and green eyes, correct?"
"Y-yeah..." Ch'en moved her vision over to Zhang and smiled.
She gently brushed his hair with her hand.
"Things you inherited..." She gently patted Zhang's head before turning back Hoshiguma.
"Zhang doesn't have Forte traits, though..." Hoshi remarked.
"No, it seems he's going to carry my Lung horns and tail." Ch'en felt her spirits uplifted at that fact.
[9:02pm-Present Day, Lungmen Dock Outskirts]
"Everyone!" Ch'en called to her entourage. "Set up a perimeter, I'm going in alone."
"Ch'en..." Hoshiguma wanted to say something but stopped.
"Yes, ma'am!" The rest of the crowd confirmed then scattered.
A second later, a black car stopped where the crowd was and Swire stepped from the passenger side and Hoshiguma greeted her.
"Beatrix, you're here." She said.
Swire surveyed the scene. "Yes, sorry it took so long. The issue was more complicated than I initially thought. Where's Madam Ch'en?"
"She's right th-"
Hoshiguma now noticed that Ch'en was missing from the container she was standing upon.
[Zhang's Perspective]
Me and Bagpipe slowly sneak down a set of stairs. The conversation we're eavesdropping on gradually becomes less muffled until we can hear it clearly.
"This is the place!"
"Exusiai, with me, upstairs. Croissant, Sora, you two sweep down here and the basement."
"Roger that, Texas!"
I peek over the banister and see a Sankta, a Forte and Two Lupo beginning to split up.
"Wait a minute..." Bagpipe whispers to herself. "Penguin Logistics?"
She suddenly stands up.
"Woah woah woah, don't shoot, Exusiai!" She exclaims dropping her lance.
"Bagpipe?" I assume the Exusiai girl replies.
"What are you doing here?" A deeper voice asks.
"I could ask you the same thing..." Bagpipe lowers her hands.
"We're uh..." Exusiai(?) starts. "Looking for Madam Ch'en's son."
Huh?
"Oh, really?" Bagpipe questions.
"Yes, out of the kindness in our hearts." The monotone voice says. "No bribery involved."
"Texas here is correct, you know.~" Exusiai(?) chimes in.
"Well, I've already found him!" Bagpipe says happily.
"Really?" Both voices reply at the same time.
Bagpipe suddenly grabs me and pulls me to a stand. "Yep!"
"Right here!" She proclaims proudly.
"Let's get out of here." Texas states. "Exusiai, go and get Sora and Croissant."
"Eh?" Exusiai looks surprised. "You're not gonna question how Bagpipe found-"
"This isn't the place to discuss that." Texas sternly commands.
"A-alright..." Exusiai wanders off.
"Zhang, you can trust these people." Bagpipe whispers to me.
"If you say so..." I mutter back.
I follow Bagpipe and Texas outside.
"Zhang!"
I hear someone call for me from a distance.
"Zhang, please tell me your okay!"
Is that...
I break away from Bagpipe and Texas to head towards the voice. I need to confirm it.
"Zhang, where are going?" I hear Bagpipe call after me.
I don't reply, just focus on getting to the source of the familiar voice.
The sound of shattering glass forces me to quicken my pace.
I round the corner to see...
"Mum!" She's backing away from the now broken window, but stops once she hears me.
"...Zha..." She stares at me for a little while.
"Mum, I...you ca-"
I'm interrupted by her almost tackling me to embrace me.
"Zhang!" Her voice sounds squeaky. "I-I was so worried..."
"ChenChen's here?" Bagpipes voice says.
I feel Mum move to look at Bagpipe.
"Awwww!~" Bagpipe cooes.
"What are you doing in Lungmen?" Mum tightens her grip on me.
"Just visiting." Bagpipe says. "I love the culture here in Yen."
There's no reply.
"Anyway, I saved your son, ChenChen." Does she get off calling my mother that way? "Can I have a tha-"
"Mum..." She looks down at me.
"What is it, Zhang?" Mum retorts.
"I...I could be...infected..." I stutter out.
She hesitates.
"How so?" Mum's eyes only become more full of worry.
"I was...locked in a room...with...with an originium chunk." I whisper.
Mum sighs, then smiles reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Zhang." Her embrace tightens further. "I'll take you to Rhodes Island and, no matter what, I'll still love you."
I hear her start to softly cry...
"Mum..." I finally return the hug. "What's wrong?"
"I-It's nothing of any concern..." She replies. "...I j-just...I h-haven't said that I l-love you in so long. It f-feels so surreal, and it shouldn't."
I'm at a loss for words, time to go with my gut...
"I love you too, Mum."