As it turned out, Irik was related to Lina rather distantly on her mother's side, but due to his being nearby during Lina's youth, and his role as one of her first teachers, she called him 'uncle'.
In no time at all, Irik convinced Lina to come along for the ride. She planned to leave her twins with someone she called 'your aunt Datt' but…
"Moooo-ooom!" whined the twins in unison.
Lina sighed, very softly, and knelt down to face the boys at their eye-level. "Kier, Day, it's not just one of the field-trips I take you on, it's a quest…and knowing Uncle Irik, it will be a rather dangerous one…"
Zel, who was quite unashamedly hidden in the shadows and using his enhanced senses to eavesdrop on this new, maternal Lina, couldn't hide a smirk. 'Field-trips, huh? Sounds like little-dramattas-training to me…'
"That's why we want to go!" said one indignantly. Zel could not tell whether it was Kieros or Daylen – he'd been watching the two boys closely ever since he'd met them, still trying to get over the fact that Lina had had children, and the fact that the children looked like mini-versions of her, and he had observed that Kieros and Daylen truly were identical – they even had similar scars on the back of their hands.
"Yeah, you tell us all these neat stories of what you did on your quests before," piped in the other. "We wanna see! We wanna see!"
The first said, "It's so boring just staying in Alephis all the time."
"Bored is better than dead," Lina said, frowning. Zel smirked again. Lina, showing signs of prudence?
"But you said that 'he who risks nothing gains nothing,'" countered one of the twins.
"We're Inverses!" insisted the other proudly. "We can handle a quest! Besides, mommy, you'll be there."
"And you know that I'll Dragonslave a town for you if I need to…" Lina sighed. "But, boys, I won't be able to keep an eye on you all the time…no, you can't go."
"Mooooooo-ooom!"
"Stop whining."
"But mooooo-oooooom…."
"I said no, and I meant no. You'll have fun with Aunt Datt, I promise. And I'll start your sword-lessons next time we meet. How's that for a deal?"
"We'd rather go with you," was the sulky reply in stereo.
"Well, you can't. And that is final."
***
Two days later, Lina met up with her former traveling companions in the courtyard of the inn. Zel had, under orders from Irik, procured the sorceress a mount, and Lina deftly loaded it with a single saddlebag and then swung herself into the saddle. The mare Zel had got was restless, and it showed it, curveting agitatedly as Lina mounted. Zel kicked Adir's sides, moving forward to help calm the horse, but found it was unnecessary as Lina soothed the bay underneath her.
Lina was dressed in something very similar to what she wore in earlier, adventuring days – although she had mostly done away with the armor. Her black cape was fastened to each shoulder by a brooch. A Demonsblood talisman was set in each silver brooch; the other two were set in black bracers on her wrists. She wore no gloves, unlike before – and aside from the brooches and bracers, no jewelry either. Her red tunic and breeches, as well as her boots and sleeveless yellow top were the same style – though not the same clothes, Zel was sure, since Lina had grown in height and – cough – other areas. Her hair was up in the same high ponytail it had been in that night Zel had found her, bangs held back by a black headband, and the short sword Lina had always had at her side was strapped onto her belt. The dichotomy between how the outfit was similar – but not identical – to what Lina had used to wear, and how Lina before and Lina now were similar but not the same as well, suggested itself very strongly to Zelgadis.
As they rode past Alephis's city gates, Lina turned around in her saddle, watching Alephis recede in size as their horses cantered away. When they rounded a curve in the road, losing sight of the city, she faced front again with a sigh.
Her companions watched covertly, unused to this Lina Inverse, who had something – someone – to leave behind instead of being a free-spirited wanderer. Zel felt a little pang of guilt. He hadn't been the one to convince Lina to come along – that had been Irik – but he had been the one to find her. If he hadn't, would Lina still be there, happy in that life she had built for herself – happy with her sons?