Mikleo watched his brother with fond exasperation. They had only just left the mountain ruins and he was already running around with the biggest smile on his face. The sun stood high up in the sky, meaning they still had time to spend. Mikleo thought of the ceremonial dagger in Sorey's pack, knowing that they would not catch up to Alisha anytime soon; she left the previous day and, going by how Sorey spent several minutes just observing a stag and doe walking past, the distance would simply grow.

Then his brother's attention was caught by the local flora. "Just look at these mushrooms," he called to Mikleo while darting over and examining his find; the forest up ahead would surely hold many more surprises. The water seraph followed with a shake of his head, but said nothing. Sorey had always been interested in all things of the world, from plants to history; no words could detract him.

By himself, Mikleo wondered whether Sorey would pick up other hobbies once they reached the human realm; he long since figured that his particular fixation came from having little else to do up in Elysia, beside exploring and reading. Or listening to some of the older seraphim tell stories at the campfire.

Days passed like this as they made their way in the direction Alisha told them; Sorey's curiousity morphed back into his usual sunny attitude, aside from the times they had to run away from wild hellions out for their blood. Mikleo was quite happy with that last decision, as he knew Sorey's thoughts on needless killing and also preferred not to get too close to the Malevolence. He carefully skirted around even the smallest clouds of it they encountered, just to be sure. Sometimes he wondered, though; Sorey had no problem hunting rabbits and fishing, though never more than he needed. Mikleo needed no food to sustain himself, so he refrained from meals.

They reached Ladylake around noon of the third day since leaving home, having made some haste. The two were held up at the main bridge leading up to the city gate, though. Some kind of commotion led to a traffic jam and they stood in line waiting.

Sorey, being Sorey, tried to remain in place before being drawn out of his shell by boundless curiousity; the first person he approached was a woman who could be anywhere from their age to her late twenties, with dark red hair and a cheerful grin on her face. She had been peering at them from time to time before already and Mikleo could sense a little more mana around her than elsewhere, but nowhere nearly enough for it to be another seraph. He shrugged it off and watched his brother talk, a little less comfortable than he had been at home. Perhaps the many people around made him a little queasy.

Thus began their stay in Ladylake. Eventless, it would not be.

Later on that same day, far to the west in Lastonbell, one of six teleportation artes in the newly created dispatching station began to glow and a seraph raced out. The two others on guard quickly left their posts when he called the news to them: a new shepherd had arrived.

The news spread like wildfire among the Bloodwing Butterflies but was, surprisingly to the more cynical ones, retained within the organisation. Lastonbell remained unaware. When Laphicet heard it from his sister, he threw her a grin. "So it is time. Do we have anything on what kind of person they are?"

Velvet, meanwhile, shook her head no. "We just know it is a man by the name of Sorey, no one so much as knows him. Average male height," she read off with a glance at the short report, "brown hair, appears friendly, no comment on resonance; he has two seraphim around and should still sleep off bonding with the second one."

"Lailah?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Maybe I should pay her a visit and congratulate her?"

At that, Velvet looked up from the parchment with a sly grin. "Visiting a pretty lady right after she bonded with another man? How bold, Laphi!"

The boy just rolled his eyes and clapped his sister's shoulder. "Don't infringe on Edna's territory. She's better at this than you, anyway." Then, while he was already picking out a few things to take along for the trip, he cast a glance her way again. "What about the other seraph?"

She turned back to the report in response. "Nothing, but he wears a lot of blue so we suspect water. His name is Mikleo and he is the quiet type. Probably attentive. Be careful."

"Sure. I'll probably go tomorrow, it will be late in Hyland now." Laphicet cast a glance out the window and at the descending sun. Then his eyes went back to Velvet. "And I need another batch of cookies, we're running out again."

There was a pause as the older Crowe slowly turned her head again to look her brother dead in the eye. "I made a big batch just for you last week," she drawled. If she expected him to wilt however, she was disappointed; Laphicet held her gaze.

"And they're all gone," he responded without flinching. "Do you have any idea how many cookies Edna and Lailah devour each? If they weren't seraphim and thus don't gain weight, I could roll them around this time next year." He exaggerated a little, but it got him the desired snort from Velvet. Who, unfortunately, did not let herself be distracted from the contradiction in his words.

"Except," she noted sweetly, "that you didn't visit Lailah in this last week. Are you trying to pretend you weren't sneaking a lot of them yourself?" Then Velvet pushed herself up with a sigh. "Just so we're clear about this, I won't scold you for eating sweets anymore. You're old enough to decide what you eat on your own, and you're responsible enough to keep it balanced, even if that doesn't mean much to a seraph." She left a pause at that for him to nod, then shook her head with a smile. "So give me a bit and I'll whip up another batch."

The beaming smile was immediate. "Thanks, sister! You're the best!"

"Heh, and don't you forget it."

. .

. .

When Sorey woke, he felt oddly warm. For some reason, the human body entered a fever state while also massively slowing down its metabolism as it adjusted to a bonded seraph. He did not know how much time passed; it was three days back when he bonded with Mikleo, who he realised in that moment was sitting near his bed with a book in hand. Not that he fooled anyone, seeing how his gaze was directed out of the window.

"Ah, Sorey!"

His gaze flicked to the other side of his bed, where Lailah beamed down at him. She noticed his being awake almost right away and her call alerted Mikleo in turn. Sorey smiled up at the two. "Hey guys. What did I miss?"

His brother huffed. "Us having to carry you here, for one. People thought it was a special shepherd power that you can fly around while sleeping." This, in turn, set Lailah off into giggles.

Sorey glanced between the two of them before resting his head back on the soft pillow. "Oh well, I guess that's fine. How long was I out?"

"About a day," the lady seraph answered him, having gotten a hold of herself. "We stayed by your side to watch over you."

He closed his eyes for a moment and gathered himself, then pushed up and out of bed. "Alright, let's get ready then." Sorey quickly noticed a set of clothes prepared for him, atop a fine white cape with dark blue markings that he knew he did not possess. "What's that?"

Mikleo glanced over from his book. "Alisha brought it this morning. Said it was traditional for the shepherd to wear." He made a bit of a weird expression, but turned back to his book before Sorey could make sense of it. "So congratulations," Mikleo muttered, "you're Shepherd Sorey now."

Something was off, he could tell. Sorey pulled his shirt down and put the elation of truly having become the shepherd aside, glancing between the two seraphim. "Something else happened that you're not telling me," he judged. Lailah's smile grew a little stiff in response while Mikleo refused to meet his gaze.

"Well, ah, this is a little awkward." His new friend coughed into her fist and motioned for his brother. "I am afraid I had to, er, sever your existing bond when you bonded with me. There was no real time to discuss it with those hellions around, but, well..." She let the sentence hang in the air and Sorey tried to understand why Lailah would do that; then he figured it was probably something about her duty. She tapped her fingertips together as her gaze alternated between the men, but said nothing more.

For a moment, Sorey wanted to ask about reestablishing his bond with Mikleo, but then he thought; as shepherd, he would have to purify Malevolence and fight the Lord of Calamity, whoever they were. Bringing his brother into so much danger was... not a good idea, to Sorey. So he, too, kept his silence.

After getting dressed and admiring his new garment for a moment, Sorey opened the door to his room to find Alisha standing guard on the other side; she was already turning, her eyes bright and a smile on her lips. "Good afternoon, Sorey! How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm alright. Thanks for keeping watch."

"It was nothing. Please, I had them prepare some food for when you awakened. Come along." She motioned to the right and marched on, leaving Sorey little choice but to follow; Alisha did not even seem to notice his surprise about her assertive behaviour, still so full of cheer.

A late breakfast followed, with him and Alisha doing the talking; or rather, Alisha alone. She told him of the area, of the people, of all the things she saw on her missions so far. Lailah and Mikleo sat to his left and right respectively, the princess opposite to him and filling the silence as he ate. Then something odd happened. Mikleo's eyes shifted and alerted Sorey to a boy entering the inn, looking younger than either of them. Lailah was so focussed on Alisha's tale of the northern wilds that she failed to notice him; he stood out a little despite his simple brown trousers and white shirt, perhaps due to his light blond hair or the crimson scarf in summer. Maybe it was the gleam in his amber eyes that caught Sorey's attention, or perhaps simply the fact he made a beeline for them.

Whatever it was, the boy waited patiently between Lailah and Alisha until the latter paused in her tale, eyes wandering over Sorey for a few moments. "So this is the shepherd I heard about," he then mused out loud with a faint smile. Lailah's head turned while he continued: "I'm glad I was still around."

Sorey returned his smile then. "Yeah, that's me. You can count on me."

Curiously, Alisha's expression slipped into confusion and she glanced around. "Um, Sorey? Who are you..." She trailed off and her eyes widened; Sorey understood as well in that moment, though his human friend quickly eyed their surroundings. "There are seraphim around us, no?" Without waiting for an answer, she then turned in her seat toward the direction he spoke in. "Oh, please forgive my rudeness, I can nomph-"

She was shut up by a bag being pressed to her face for a moment, which the boy then let drop into her lap. He sighed and turned his attention back to Sorey. "Please tell her there is nothing to forgive." He repeated the words for a befuddled Alisha. "And that my sister made a bigger load for everyone here to share."

He repeated that as well, then paused and looked at the boy seraph more directly. "What do you mean?"

The answer was interrupted by Lailah clapping her hands in delight. "Oh my, Laphicet! I keep telling you there is no need!"

"I'm aware, but I figured some celebration is in order to welcome the new shepherd. Take them as a congratulatory gift." He offered the group as a whole a bright smile that Sorey returned even without knowing what exactly this was about.

He did not have to wait much longer to find out, anyway; Alisha had opened the bag and pulled out a biscuit to examine. "Looks like someone's gifting those to us four," Sorey told her with a grin. Her eyes only grew wider and she immediately turned back to... roughly where Laphicet stood, bowing her head.

"Many thanks, oh kind seraph!"

The boy fidgeted a little over the reverent tone but kept the smile on his face. Lailah giggled a little. "There is such a tough cookie hiding under that sweet smile, too," the lady seraph cooed, which immediately prompted Laphicet to sigh. Sorey's grin remained as he was unaffected by the pun, though Mikleo snorted quietly. Then she clapped her hands again. "But anyway, Laphicet, meet Shepherd Sorey and his friend Mikleo."

They exchanged greetings and Sorey offered the other seraph to join them at the table, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I was just in the area for unrelated matters, now I have to head back on home. It was nice meeting you, Sorey, Mikleo."

He waved and made his exit then, leaving the four alone at the table; Sorey leaned back in his chair and made a thoughtful noise. "That was certainly something. Does he live in town, Lailah?"

Alisha followed his gaze even though she could not hear a single word; a glance to the other human showed that she seemed to be straining her ears. Lailah offered a faint shrug. "I do not think so, to be honest. He first appeared a few months ago and has been visiting me every few weeks since. I quite appreciate his company."

"Sounds like he is crushing," Mikleo provided from Sorey's other side. He wondered about that a little, but Lailah shook her head.

"At first I thought so too, but now I feel he is just an earnest young man, who wanted to keep me company in my vigil. From what he told me, he is traveling with his sister." She then smiled at the two men and reached over to snatch a biscuit out of the bag in Alisha's lap. "I'm sure we will meet him again!"

Meanwhile, Laphicet had started his walk back to the Bloodwings' base in Ladylake, a small safehouse at the outskirts of town. He did not pay much attention to the people walking around him and little more to the chatter about the new shepherd and other, more domestic news; it was still enough to notice a faintly familiar face coming straight at him. Snow white hair, vivid green eyes, a pleasant smile, old. Granny was up to something again.

He made a few steps to the side so as to not run into her, but she did the same; when he met her eyes, she grinned at him. Then they both stood in front of each other, with a young woman walking into the suddenly stopping elder and apologising as she went past. Laphicet looked up at her. "Hello, grandma. Did you forget where your home is?"

The needling only prompted a quiet chuckle before the old woman shook her head. "Nothing of the sort, my boy. We just haven't spoken in a while and I'm so curious how you're doing. Why don't you join me for lunch?" When he made to consider, she nudged him with a conspiratorial grin. "There's something in it for you, too."

People around them were taking notice of the elder's odd behaviour, but then went on to ignore it. Laphicet had to admire how well she knew to play the senile old woman. Not to mention that he was curious what she meant; he did not lack for time at the moment, so he might as well. "Alright, let's go."

So they walked through Ladylake, on a path that soon became somewhat familiar. Down a familiar road, to a small, faintly familiar house. Neither spoke on the way, the old woman just smiling to herself and Laphicet following. Once they were through the door however, she called out into the house: "Symonne, dear, I brought you something nice!"

Almost immediately, a disinterested voice called back: "Is it another puppy?"

As Laphi's attention left the elder, his senses began to pick up a big amount of mana just ahead. He blinked, alienated, while a wrinkled hand landed on his shoulder. "No, this one here is a little bigger."

The exchange might have been funny normally, but right now he was just confused.

A girl seraph then poked her head into the open doorway to the living room, black hair with purple tips hanging down and one bang falling over her eye that way. Lilac eyes examined him for a moment, almost clinically, before the girl's attention turned to the old woman by his side. "Did you kidnap another boy off the streets, Nica?" she inquired then. He could not see much more than her eyes and hair, but even Laphicet could hear the faint amusement in her tone.

Nica, as he now knew her name was, cackled and pushed him forward. "No, no. This one followed me home, though I don't think we can keep him."

When Symonne rounded the corner, what immediately drew Laphi's eyes was her rather... revealing attire. As in, he could not remember ever seeing that much rosy skin on a single person before while they were fully clothed. Her top was breezy, leaving both collarbone and cleavage as well as midriff revealed; it sat on her frame lightly and was tucked into a big belt that itself covered a good part of her shorts; shorts which were even shorter than what he originally picked as Innominat. The most covering she actually had were her thighighs.

Dainty feet carried the slender girl closer, those lilac eyes roaming his form with curiousity. She tilted her body lightly, revealing bare sides without a care. A faint smile played around her lips, which Laphicet only noticed because he finally forced his gaze up. Looking at her face directly, he felt he saw her somewhere before. But he could not figure out when, or where. Shaking off those notions and doing his best to ignore burning cheeks, he gave a smile to the girl. "Hello, I'm Laphicet. Nice to meet you."

"Symonne, likewise." She even returned his smile, if a little more coy than he was used to.

"I adopted Symonne a few months ago," Nica threw in with a quiet laugh. "Taking a break from her travels did the girl good, now she actually smiles some more." She ushered them both into the living room as she spoke, but Laphicet could see his fellow seraph roll her eyes.

"I can't even deny it," Symonne muttered, more to herself. He was about to comment that he finally got to meet granny's seraph, but then he realised the time did not add up; or if it did, only barely. Not to mention that there was still a seraph dwelling within Nica in this very moment.

The elder made them sit down next to each other on the worn couch and gave them a wide grin. "Now, you children relax while I cook up something nice." They both accepted her pace, though with matching grins to each other as their thoughts were roughly the same: 'the old lady and her whims'.

Unfortunately, with Nica out of the room and nothing else to focus on, Laphi's eyes began to wander again. He knew her from somewhere, but it would not come to him. He tried not to stare, he really did. Unfortunately, Symonne noticed anyway; instead of getting annoyed or whatever else he might have expected however, she threw him a coy wink. "You can look if you want. I wouldn't dress this way if I wasn't comfortable with being seen."

She leaned a little closer and Laphicet leaned back unconciously, his cheeks flaming over her cheeky tone of voice. "I-It's rude to stare," he stuttered out after a moment, his brain having ceased to function.

Symonne, though, merely smiled that coy smile and leaned in further. She casually ran a finger over his chest, peering into his eyes. "You can touch if you want, too." His face might have been on fire in that moment. Laphicet fidgeted a little, embarassed, and the finger retreated; Symonne's bell-like laughter filled the room as she left him be, lounging on her end of the couch with a wide grin.

Nica leaned into the room in that moment; she beheld how her newly adopted seraph sat, noted Laphicet's pout, and huffed quietly. "I forgot it earlier," she called over to distract the two, "but tell your sister to come visit me again soon. There was something I wanted to talk about with her. You can come back to play with Symonne, too; the poor dear needs a friend."

Symonne immediately made a face which Laphicet grinned over in turn; then he answered Nica with a bit of a thankful smile: "I can tell her that, but it might be a bit until we can come visit."

"Ah, that's quite alright. Just make sure to tell her."

Once the elder had returned to her cooking, Symonne cast a curious glance to Laphicet. "Your sister? How did you two meet Nica?"

"Velvet fell for the granddaughter-trick," he deadpanned and was rewarded with a chuckle.

"Ah yes, she loves that one." Symonne paused for a moment, but then seemed to give herself a little push and continued. "Just last week, there was this one guy-"

So she regaled him with tales of the old lady's exploits, which Symonne herself sometimes aided when she felt like it. Laphicet listened eagerly and commented a few times, but she seemed to have fun just talking, so he let her. The only time Symonne stopped was when Nica began to serve lunch; she quickly hopped up and helped set the table, which Laphicet emulated a moment later. "She'd do it all herself," the girl seraph told him as they went, to a huff from her vessel.

Having run out of steam after being interrupted however, she then turned her attention back to Laphicet as they sat down before steaming vegetables and rice with some pork mixed in. "You're traveling, right? What brought you here to Ladylake?"

"Hm?" He finished chewing his brussel sprout and swallowed, then tapped his lower lip with the fork. "Well, I was in the area and heard about the new shepherd, so I came to check."

Symonne's fork almost missed her mouth and she stared at him with widened eyes, a sight which neither he nor Nica missed. The old woman chuckled and threw Laphicet a wink. "Yes, I heard about him while out in town. I was going to, heh, take a closer look at him soon."

He could not help but grin back. "Don't be too mean to him, yes? He's a decent person from what I saw. Princess Alisha seems to like him, at least."

"My, my. Alisha, hm?" The elder rubbed her hands. "This will be fun."

Not long after Laphicet left them to head home, Symonne went out to 'take a walk'. Not that Nica believed that one for even a moment.

"Who would have thought that such a sweet tease was hidden under all the fatalism," she mused out loud, for only her old friends to hear. They had helped coax the actual Symonne out of that shell over the last few months. The girl still 'went on walks' from time to time, but what she actually did became fairly obvious beyond just a guess by now. To do it right after learning of the new shepherd. Symonne normally 'took a walk' after nightfall, and consistently so.

Nica sat down on the couch and leaned back, feeling her old bones protest slightly. "Ah, woe is me under the burdens of age." Then however, her grimace was broken by a wide grin. "At least things will get interesting again."