Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during the execution of this age-old tradition… especially for the one who who makes a choice.

~保護者~

"Outsider"

~保護者~

The amount of people in Espio's house now was bordering on insane, he decided, when the group of shinobi they had been expecting entered the front room. He exchanged some basic polite greetings in undertone with them before one cleared her throat (albeit not rudely) and stated at a more normal volume, "Elder Anao has requested that we seek guidance from you regarding the conflict that has recently entered our territories."

"I am aware." Espio idly shifted his hold on Sako, who was busy climbing his marked shoulder. He allowed the child to remain there, if only because it hid the mark in question. Anyone seeing it now could reasonably question his judgement, motivations, alliances, and more. It was best not to get into that sort of situation now, not to mention here. "There is little to do unless we can convince the other villages to take up arms as well."

Another of the visitors spoke up. "Some villages have already sent messengers expressing their desire to lend their aid."

Espio nodded slowly. "It is necessary to send our own messengers to the remaining villages."

With his current instructions made clear, the visitors bowed and swiftly disappeared. Espio let out a small breath, relieved that there was immediately less of a crowd inside. With a quick glance around, he took note of how many were left. Li, Calypso, Novei, Cream, Vector, Tails, Armaris, his parents, Sako, and himself were all still inside. That was eleven people crammed into a three-room home… and all were in the front room. This is ridiculous.

Another chameleon dropped down onto the porch from somewhere above it and walked in. Shei started to sign, "Who-"

Espio, as respectfully as he could, dismissed the incoming question with a motion of his hand. He knew who this was. This was someone he had ties to both professionally and casually. They had done their fair share of missions together both within the Highlands and outside of them. They sparred together. They even just talked occasionally. It was fine for him to be here. He wasn't a stranger. "Toru," he greeted quietly, knowing that the man preferred the codename "Soul" but didn't always use it. Sako happened to look over and stared at the newcomer for a moment before resuming his busy climbing.

Toru gave a nod and walked forward, seamlessly appearing in front of Espio. "I was informed you have been directly involved in this war."

"I have," Espio confirmed simply.

The onyx chameleon glanced around the room, arms crossing lightly. "Your allies, I presume?" His gaze was currently locked on the outsiders, but there was no contempt or disdain in his eyes. Merely curiosity.

"They are," Espio answered. Tails and Cream looked over briefly but respectfully stayed out of the conversation.

Toru's gaze very quickly locked onto Armaris and his curiosity grew. "Like us? She has Darkness as well."

"Not entirely like us," Espio murmured. He chose to ignore the fact that Toru had obviously not been kept ignorant about the matter of their kind's Darkness… unlike Espio himself. "Her Darkness does not… burden her quite as much as ours does. Half of it bears no evil."

"Hm." There were more questions he had regarding this, but it could wait. He turned back to Espio and raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do from here? We are obviously mobilizing."

"Gathering allies is all we can do for the moment," Espio responded, arms loosely crossing. "There are others involved in this war - Immortals and others - who have taken charge. I intend to defer to them and their decisions for now."

Amusement glittered in Toru's eyes. "You, defer to others?"

Espio tossed him a mild glare. "Save the jokes, Toru."

"I simply find it interesting that you are willing to do so," Toru placated, though the amusement never left him.

"It is only because of the nature of the threats we are facing." After a small pause, Espio huffed and decided it would be pertinent to fill at least this shinobi in completely, so he quickly and briefly summarized everything that was going on. Everything excluding his own issues, of course. He finished it up by saying, "That our largest enemies have power rivaling the current Immortals is why we are gathering allies - and why I am content to let those Immortals lead. They may be outmatched, but they understand better than we precisely what must be done and how."

Toru's hand found its way to his chin and he stayed in deep thought temporarily. "I see. You trust them, so I have no reason to do otherwise." Espio nodded vaguely, preoccupied again with Sako's climbing and squirming. Deciding it best to simply hold back further questions (those more personal) until later, he simply nodded.

Aniko, seeing that this conversation was over, suddenly walked forward and demanded forcefully to Tails and the others, "Out. Cream and Armaris, stay."

Tails, understandably, started with a little, "Eep!" of fright. Cream and Vector traded surprised and confused looks, but Vector slowly moved to stand. He was not gonna mess with that woman. Not a chance.

Blinking, Espio turned to face Aniko. "Mother…"

"I said for them to get out," Aniko answered, a hardened expression on her face. "We have other matters to discuss. They can wait outside."

Though Espio looked ready to say something else, Tails quickly got to his feet. "No, no, it's fine. We'll head out for a bit. No big deal." Gesturing to Vector, he hurried out the door. The croc shrugged and followed suit. Seeing them leave, Calypso gladly stood and made her way outside as well. She was quite happy to be outside again. Li made haste to head outside, which seemed to be the only reason Novei bothered to follow.

"That wasn't ne-" Armaris started, cut off by Aniko.

"We have matters to discuss involving the other villages, our kind. They need not be involved," Aniko stated, glancing to Armaris.

Shei decided to end the argument before it could truly begin. "Say what you wish to say, then."

"How many villages are left, Espio?" Aniko asked, turning to her son. "We should find a way to reach them all as quickly as we can."

"There are many," Espio answered. "The Highlands have managed to grow larger over all of these years. More villages than we could once sustain populate the newers regions, as well as the old. The shinobi of this village are headed to our closest neighbors. If those villages cooperate, they will soon send their own scouts out. If that process is repeated, we will have made contact with everyone within the next few hours."

"I presume you believe the vast majority will cooperate?"

"It is little more than a hope, currently."

Shei frowned and signed, "How have relations been between the settlements in recent years?"

Knowing what he meant, Espio answered, "The villages have not warred with one another in any capacity for five hundred years. We are in a period of peace. If they refuse to aid us, it will not be because of internal conflicts."

Armaris frowned. "But we still don't know what their position would be, either?"

He shook his head. "There is no way to."

"Tch." Armaris closed her eyes. "That's annoying."

"Do you know of any other skilled shinobi besides this one?" Aniko asked Espio, followed with a glance at Toru.

That earned a small huff, but Espio answered, "Yes. There are some of nearly the same caliber."

"Do you know them well enough to convince them to join us?"

"Perhaps," he shrugged, noncommittal.

"Hm."

Armaris leaned up against a wall and glanced to Cream. "You got any thoughts on this?"

"No, I do not," Cream answered softly. "I am afraid I cannot be of much help as of now."

Toru glanced to Armaris and Cream, then back to Aniko, raising an eyebrow. "You allowed them to stay. Why?"

"They're family," Aniko muttered, as if he were questioning her choice. "They stay."

The other chameleon gave a gentle nod. "Understood."

Espio dragged a chair out from his table with a foot and sat down. Sako decided to climb down to the floor, and he let the baby do as he pleased for now. Said baby was soon entertaining himself by playing with his father's boot as Espio asked, "Did you need to discuss anything else, Mother?"

Aniko closed her eyes in thought. "Who is he?"

"Toru," the onyx chameleon answered with a bow. "Though, I more often go by 'Soul'."

"He is an ally," Espio supplied. "I have known him for a number of years."

"Aniko, Shei, Armaris, and Cream," Aniko introduced, not bothering to waste more time than necessary. "If you are an ally of my son, I will presume you are alright."

"Thank you," Toru answered, standing up straight.

Taking the hint that his mother wanted Toru out for the time being regardless, Espio decided to tactfully intervene. "There is nothing for you to do right now," he said simply. "If you wish to return to your earlier activities, now would be the time."

Toru nodded gently, giving a respectful farewell to them all and disappearing entirely. He reappeared once more in the tree near Shadow, glancing over. "His mother kicked us all out."

His sudden reappearance almost made Shadow jump, but he managed to smother the reaction somehow. "I am somehow not surprised," he answered after a small pause. Looking down below, he took note of where Tails and Vector had gone so as to just generally keep an eye on them if need be. But they were fine now, so he didn't focus too much on what they were doing.

"It seemed as though she disliked that many people inside," Toru shrugged lightly, sighing.

"I was under the impression that that was a common sentiment among your people," Shadow admitted with a slight shrug.

"It is, though it was mostly pointed at those you're allies with. Likely because of them not 'belonging'. I do enjoy seeing how people react to such things."

After a lengthy pause, Shadow decided to take a small risk and cautiously noted, "You do not seem to react as adversely as others would." Honestly, he wasn't sure if saying so would get him stabbed, but… fuck it, he really didn't give much of a damn. He probably wouldn't feel it, anyway, given his lack of many functioning pain receptors.

Toru smirked faintly. "I am glad you noticed. It is likely due to the fact that I have learned to not bother with things that are not adversely affecting me."

"More people could stand to learn that," Shadow grumbled, settling back against the trunk of the tree they were seated in.

"It simply makes life easy," Toru answered.

"Hn." With this vague hum, Shadow fell silent. That silence persisted for a time before he realized he actually had another question. This one was unlikely to garner a violent response and exhaustion was probably stripping him of his usual reservations about questioning people, so he just went with it. "Why did you approach me?"

"I thought it was interesting that an outsider noticed that something about me was unusual. I wanted to see how you knew," Toru answered slowly. "Not to mention that you were different than the others as well."

"How did you know that I was different?" Shadow found himself asking.

Toru raised an eyebrow at this, blinking once. "You act different, your overall aura is unusual, you possess Darkness… need I continue? Or would you like me to elaborate?"

Eventually, Shadow shook his head. "No."

"Long story short, you were different enough to warrant interest. You and one other, but you are a touch more peculiar."

"'Peculiar'?" Shadow echoed with a vaguely indignant huff.

"All of the things I mentioned. The other is simply more neutral, which I find curious for an outsider," Toru answered easily.

"Hn," Shadow answered vaguely again, closing his eyes. He had decided that there was no need to be on edge around this particular chameleon right now. Especially not if this person truly was an ally of Espio's, and he clearly was.

Toru glanced over deciding it was his turn to ask a question. "If it is not too much to ask… are you partially inorganic?"

Shadow's first reaction was to just say, "You don't need to be so polite all the time." There was another brief pause before he spoke again. "And... no. I am not entirely biological."

"How so?" Toru pressed, crossing his arms lightly. "I saw your eyes glow unnaturally after I asked you where that woman was, and I know that something must have caused that."

"That was in response to me performing a special function my eyes were built to perform," Shadow answered slowly. Eventually he continued, "I was created as a cyborg. That is a person who is comprised of metal and technology as well as biological parts. We are not robots, but the minds of some are modified to the point where they behave like one."

Toru's demeanor grew far more serious in that instant, and his gaze fell back on Shadow. "Was that attempted on you?"

"To some extent," Shadow muttered.

"For what little it may mean, I'm sorry it happened that way. You seem to have done well to not let that define your whole life, however." Shadow accepted the words with little more than a shrug. "On a lighter note, how did you come to know the others you are with? It must've been a different sort of circumstance, to say the least."

"I met them all at roughly the same time," Shadow answered after some thought. "They remember more about our early encounters than I do. I recall that I opposed them, at the time, but little beyond that. My memory does not clear until after I had been travelling with them for a short time."

The chameleon seemed to think on this before nodding. "Understood. Do you have any questions for me? I've been asking a few already."

Being that he was always interested in weapons and he knew chameleons were the same, Shadow soon asked, "In combat, what weapon do you prefer?"

Toru answered with a vaguely cheeky grin. "Yes." He waited a moment before answering, not letting that be perceived as his final answer. Shadow inwardly rolled his eyes at the random bit of humor. "I am a fan of longer blades. I often rely on a tachi, but that is merely preference for blades. Melee, I prefer some of my own creation, and for longer range, if necessary, I prefer the crossbow."

Those answers were fairly within the boundaries of normal for Toru's people, so Shadow wasn't surprised by the answers. Though, the specific use of a tachi in place of a katana was a bit rarer. Yet more unusual traits, it would seem.

"What of yours? Surely you have your own preferences."

"I prefer guns, but… my father taught me to handle knives and a katana as well. I am comfortable enough with those, but guns are more my forte."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "Would you consider yourself a gunslinger of sorts? Or are you one who can fight with several types of guns?"

"I handle a variety of guns," Shadow answered with another shrug. "As for the title of 'gunslinger'... others have referred to me as such. I have never bothered to do the same."

"Well, if the time comes that you would like to train your sword skills, I would not complain to aid in that. 'The art of the sword is a noble pursuit', or so my father said." Toru gave a brief smile. "And I wouldn't mind learning more about guns."

Only a bit of thought was required for Shadow to come to a decision. "I would not be opposed to that."

"Good to hear." Toru laid back, a feat of incredible skill and balance considering there was nothing directly behind him to support his body. "I suppose there is a reason you're not nearer to your allies, yes?"

"If there is?" Shadow sighed, not wanting to admit straight away to the cause.

"Not my concern, unless you want to talk about it," Toru murmured. "Seems serious, though."

"I have been… ill," Shadow eventually relented, saying nothing more on the matter in the hopes it would be dropped. He wouldn't have said anything at all, if not for the fact that Toru would likely fucking see for himself at some point or another… particularly when Shadow was in-between doses of medicine.

Toru didn't say anything for a moment, giving a nod. "Take care of yourself then. I'm looking forward to lessons on guns."

This earned another huff from Shadow and he murmured, "First lesson… do not be too eager. You will hurt yourself."

"I'm not a stranger to injuring myself while learning. I believe I could manage, regardless." Toru tossed a somewhat small smile to Shadow. "Thanks for mentioning it, though."

Shadow opened his eyes to look at the other man. "This is not like training with a sword, or any other blade," he informed. "Think of the damage a crossbow can do when equipped with exploding arrows, but compact it into a much smaller and faster projectile. That image is akin to what a bullet can do, assuming they aren't imbued with energy from any powers."

"I do happen to be aware of what bullets are capable of," Toru commented idly, "but I've never seen one imbued with energy. That would be dangerous."

"You would do well to keep that in mind, as all of my guns are capable of being imbued with energies," Shadow told him. "You would be training with one of those."

"Hm," Toru hummed, blinking once. "I see. In that case, I'll make sure to be careful." Shadow let out another vague hum. After that, the pair lapsed into silence. That it managed to be somehow comfortable was… a matter Shadow decided to contemplate another time. For now, he decided it was time to capitalize on the peace and try to sneak in a nap. God only knew he needed one.

~保護者~

Shortly after Toru's retreat outside, Espio let out a soft sigh and quietly said, "Mother?"

Aniko cast a glance to him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, my child?"

He took some time to organize his thoughts before replying. "The villages have not attempted to unify since before you and Father perished. There is no appointed leader anymore for situations such as this." Feeling that there was another point that he might make (on top of not wanting to directly accept the implication yet), Aniko motioned for him to continue. After another small pause, he relented and spoke again. "It would be most beneficial for you to take up that position. It is not wise for me to do so." If I am affected by my Darkness again... I cannot be in a position of authority over others. The results could be... disastrous.

"Why specifically myself?" Aniko questioned. She had her suspicions regarding this, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Though the idea of more talking was… tiring (not to mention actually doing so), Espio continued. "As you have noticed, people still know who you are, Mother. You have already led our people during times of hardship. No one has forgotten that. They will accept you with ease."

Though she huffed at him, Aniko eventually nodded. "I see your reasoning."

Armaris leaned against a wall, arms crossed. "So, what will it take to make sure they're all unified? Surely they all won't be entirely happy with working with all of the other villages and whatnot."

"They firstly need a strong and firm leader, one who refuses to let them bicker amongst themselves. Infighting breeds death far more quickly than many outside sources can, as it brings allies against one another," Aniko explained, sighing. "They would also need this figure to be someone recognizable, which, as Espio stated, I am. That would be enough to suffice long enough to mobilize and begin forming plans."

"It helps," Espio murmured, "that they all directly suffered the same assault we did. This is a common threat, one which affects every village in every part of the land. It will not appear to them as something that they can afford to ignore. Therefore, they will not."

Aniko nodded softly, then turned back to Armaris. "You still have doubt."

"Always. Trusting people to simply do what you'd expect them to do isn't my strong suit," Armaris murmured, frowning. "I'm going to trust that the both of you know what the hell you're doing, but I personally don't believe that alone would be enough to keep enemies from fighting each other."

"Our people are not enemies to one another," Espio answered quietly. "Not entirely. Our rivalries may grow bitter and bloody at times, but that does not mean we hate one another… nor that we will abandon our own in such a conflict."

Armaris sighed. "Then here's something else. Are they going to be willing to fight alongside outsiders… alongside me?" The pain in her voice was obvious, and it told Aniko exactly what she was referring to.

"If they are not willing to fight on the same side as an ally, or one of their own, then they can be gone for their own demeanor would dictate that they are untrustworthy and unreliable in such a large-scale war," Aniko muttered, glaring at nothing in particular. "They will treat allies with respect."

The cat snorted. "M'kay. But if they decide to pick a fight with me, it's not my problem if they die."

"That means you as well, Armaris," Aniko stated. "You will show respect, just like your kin." Armaris wanted to argue against this but had no point to make. By this point in her life, she felt much more at home around the chameleons than most people.

Cream waited to see if the other two women were truly finished speaking before saying anything herself. Once it was clear that they were done, she said, "If I may… I have some questions about this matter."

With a quick glance at her, Espio permitted, "Speak."

She nodded politely. "For one thing… I know each individual will have weapons. There can be no doubt about that. But are the weapons most will have be war-ready?"

Espio gave that some thought. "All weapons our people craft are suitable for any conflict, but… against enemies such as Kaden, more will be required than simple blades. Most will not have any sort of weaponry particularly suitable for destroying demons and their ilk. Our traditional weapons can be used, but they will not be the most effective tools."

"There's a man around capable of making weapons for that purpose," Armaris answered, shrugging. "Though… last I heard, he's got no forge. He'd have a hard time actually getting to make anything."

In a surprisingly casual manner, Espio waved her off with a hand. "That can be handled. Jet has one within his home. It is how he maintains Alkarus."

Armaris blinked once. "Didn't think he'd take kindly to something like that."

"He will not care," Espio answered her.

"How do you know that for certain?" Cream inquired. Choosing to display his normal character, Espio didn't feel the need to explain himself. Instead, he busied himself with carefully pulling Sako off of his foot. The baby had begun tugging incessantly on his boot, so Espio dislodged said baby and set him aside.

"So we need him mass producing weapons, then?" Armaris asked, frowning. "That's probably gonna be a bit hefty of a job, but he can probably manage."

"We can ask him about it once we are done talking," Cream suggested. "He may be alright with it."

Armaris shrugged. "Li will take on the job regardless. He's been wanting to get back to a forge for a long while now, and it's finally somewhat safe for him to do so."

Cream nodded in understanding, then returning her attention to Espio. "Do you still own that book?"

Though he let out a little huff, as though he believed the question to be silly, Espio answered, "Yes. Of course I do."

"What book?" Armaris asked, raising an eyebrow at them both.

"A summoning book," Espio told her. "It is used to store a high volume of weapons when you wish to have swift access to more than can be reasonably teleported."

Armaris nodded slowly. "Intending to let him use that to transport them all?"

"That is what it is intended for," he confirmed simply.

Cream spoke up again, getting at the point of her question bit by bit. "Most of the weapons within those pages - you crafted them, yes?"

With another glance at her, he said, "You know this. Why ask?"

"Confirmation," she shrugged. Then she murmured, "If I may be so bold… I was thinking that perhaps Lady Aniko and Lord Shei may wish to use some of what you have. Their former weapons, or at least most of them, will not have survived until now."

Aniko's questioning gaze fell on her son at this, inquiring of his thoughts regarding the situation. "I would prefer not to take weapons that you crafted for your own use."

At this, Espio let out another huff like the one before. "You would benefit from having more than a single sword at your disposal, Mother."

She huffed in return to him. "They are your blades, child. I can survive with a sword until other weapons are made. Shei is in more dire need of weapons, regardless."

Shei frowned and signed, "Do not be stubborn, Aniko. You need more weapons as well. Shinobi are at their best when not limited to one form of combat."

Aniko looked ready to protest, but was cut short by an interjection from Armaris. "She's stubborn and will not back down on this. You know this as well as I do."

Having apparently had enough of this, Espio teleported the book in question to him. It was the very same one he had worn on his back via a strap shortly after Sonic's revival and their activities on A'latria, but he had since used an old shinobi trick to shrink it down to the size of an average novel. He tossed it at Aniko without even so much as a glance. "With all due respect, Mother… stop arguing."

"Mules," Aniko muttered under her breath, already beginning to flip through the book quietly. "You have a collection. I am proud." Hearing those words caused him to duck his head a little and look away, quietly pleased but doing what he could not to show it. Praise had always meant a lot to him, coming from her. The sight made Shei smile behind his mask. Aniko barely hid a small smile at this, quickly looking through all of the weapons with a level of pride evident in her eyes.

While Aniko busied herself with the book, Cream shifted her focus to Armaris. "Miss Armaris, is there anything you will require?"

"I have most of what I need. Some of my weapons are elsewhere, but I'll collect them in due time," Armaris answered, sighing. "Though, I don't want to go alone. I'll definitely be dragging someone along with me."

The bunny tilted her head. "Where?"

"My house, but that also happens to be a bit close to, er…" Armaris shivered. "Some recent memories."

"I see." Cream was quiet for a time, then stood. "I will go speak to Mister Li outside, unless I am needed for anything else." When no one spoke up, she smiled and headed out.

In the silence that followed, Shei eyed his son's demeanor. Espio remained seated at the table, gaze distant as he lost himself to his thoughts. He paid no further attention to his infant son, despite Sako again messing with his father's boots. Shei's head canted ever-so-slightly to the side. Progress has been made… but still there is a gap that must be bridged. He keeps his son at arm's length, if only emotionally, and that will not do. The Darkness of our family is a thing to rightfully be wary of. To be wary of it within his own son… is also reasonable. In that moment, the older chameleon made a decision. He must be reminded that there is more to all of us than what our Darkness would have us be. With this in mind, he lifted his hand and waved it slightly in Aniko's direction so as to get her attention. Once he had it, he signed, "I believe it is time we introduce our son to a tradition every parent must learn." Aniko responded with a simple nod, walking closer to Espio to gain his attention. As she did so, Shei quickly signed to her, "I will fetch the items from our old home, if they still remain." He dashed outside and away faster than most would have been able to follow.

Shei's sudden departure pulled Espio free of his thoughts, prompting him to notice Aniko's proximity immediately afterward. Subtly confused, he soon asked, "...Yes?"

"There is something that we must introduce you to, a long-held tradition with our children," Aniko murmured softly. "I will explain more when Shei returns."

Shortly thereafter, Shei came back inside with a few small items in his hand. He set all three down on the table one at a time before explaining. "This pearl," he held up a small pearl as black as the night itself, "traditionally represents Darkness, its power, and everything else related to it… essentially, it represents our 'truest' selves." Setting the pearl down again, he picked up the second object. "This knife, obviously, represents combat, the thrill of the hunt, and a desire to grow stronger. It is what you were most drawn to, when we did this test." He set the knife down and picked up the last object. "This is a pick to an ancient, traditional instrument we have not produced many of since arriving here on Mobius. It represents our culture, our music, and the simple pleasures even our kind can gain out of life." Espio looked on, confused but nevertheless paying attention. "The items and their meanings can vary from family to family, but the pearl… it always remains."

Armaris walked closer to Espio, standing beside him and raising an eyebrow. "How long has this tradition been held?"

"Longer than any of us can remember," Shei answered patiently. "Given that Aniko was born so shortly after the massacre at Zyr and yet even her parents and grandparents could not recall a time without this tradition, it clearly began there."

Aniko nodded softly. "This is something we wish for you to partake in, Espio. With your child, Sako."

Espio gained a slight frown, but not one of upset. "What is the point of this?"

Although Shei offered a slight shrug, he was quick to follow it up with an answer. "It does not hold the same weight that it once did, in older times, but according to tradition… whichever item the baby picks is said to offer insight into their personality and what they will grow to desire out of life." He tilted his head thoughtfully, then remarked, "The meanings behind your choice, for one thing, has remained incredibly accurate to this day." When Espio didn't answer, Shei gestured to the items on the table. "Take these and set them on the floor side by side, just as I did, and then place Sako in front of them. You must sit on the opposite side and simply watch. Do nothing other than this, for any movement can be viewed as influencing the child's decision. When this happens, the test must be restarted on another day. That is time we do not have right now. We are fortunate to have a moment to try this even once."

With a small sigh, Espio obeyed, grabbing the items in question and moving to an empty space on the floor. He laid them out and placed Sako in front of them, then sat down like he'd been told. Armaris was quick to be beside Espio when he sat down as well, staying absolutely still and silent. Aniko watched this movement from them both and simply watched for the moment, choosing not to comment. This situation was… serious to her. She wanted to preserve that.

For a time, Sako simply sat where he was placed, looking around and paying no real attention to the things in front of him. Only the faint glint of light glimmering off the blade of the knife seemed to eventually draw his attention toward it and the other two objects. He eyed it for a few seconds, then put his hand in his mouth to suck on it a bit as he looked at the pick. That he never once even so much as glanced at the pearl was a detail not lost on Espio, but he did as he'd been told and simply sat still, watching what Sako might do next.

Finally, after close to two minutes of nothing really happening, Sako began to crawl forward. Only… instead of going to one of the items on the floor, he crawled through them, pushing them aside as he moved. Espio watched with strangely baited breath as the child made his way over, then crawled into Espio's lap. Sako curled up a little, putting his hand back into his mouth and looking up into Espio's face. He then looked over at Armaris for a few short seconds before shifting a bit and using his free hand to firmly grasp at Espio's. This made Espio blink. ...I did not realize I was one of the options.

Aniko's mouth briefly fell open at this and she grew visibly confused. Surely, this wasn't something that was supposed to happen. Sako should have actually chosen one of the objects, not his own father. Though… to some degree, she supposed that might be better than having picked anything else. Shei, meanwhile, smiled a bit behind his mask. "Well this is a rare turn of events. It would seem your boy has chosen the unspoken fourth option… family."

Briefly, Aniko broke out of her confused state and took a moment to think back over what had just transpired. Sako chose his father… and then acknowledged Armaris. That bodes well, but… it is so unusual…

As Espio thought over all of this, Shei signed to Aniko, "What say you about this?"

"I… I don't know," Aniko admitted slowly, her gaze falling to the floor as she thought in a similar manner to Espio. "I did not expect such a thing."

Meanwhile, there was a level of shock in Armaris' system at Sako having looked at her during this. If this tradition was really so accurate… then what did the baby's gaze falling on her mean? She eventually managed a smile and set a hand on Espio's shoulder, deciding it wasn't worth worrying about. "So, what do you think…?" He took his time responding to her, eventually settling on a vague shrug to do so. However… he slowly moved to hold Sako properly with one arm, earning a soft and contented smile from the baby. To Shei, this small action said more than enough.

Aniko briefly smiled at this sight and stood, walking over to her child and Armaris. "I see Sako has made a choice." Espio offered a small nod. For a moment, she hovered there before seeming to just appear beside Shei, turning her attention to him with a questioning expression. "How do you feel about this turn of events?"

"It is good," Shei signed without hesitation. "This is very good."

Deciding to sign, since Espio was busy, Aniko responded, "This bodes well for their relationship, but what do you make of his attention on Armaris?"

"Is there truly anything wrong with it?" Shei asked her in turn. "As I have discussed with her, they are not genuinely siblings in any sense of the word. We may have aided in raising her for a short time in her life, but they barely knew one another. She never referred to us as her parents. It took a long time for you and her to even begin to get along. And while she may be an outsider, she was a part of society long enough to learn many of our ways. If they choose to be together in the end… what would be so terrible about it?"

Aniko briefly considered this. "I suppose there truly is nothing wrong with it… in that case. Though, I still somewhat dislike the idea of him having relations with an outsider, if it is his choice, I will respect it nonetheless."

This was a common viewpoint amongst their people, of course, but still Shei asked her, "Why do you hold such a belief, Aniko? Why does this feel wrong to you?"

"I suppose it is not wholly the matter of it being an outsider, so much as it is her. They both bear dangerous Darkness. If their Darkness mingles… in any way, it could prove disastrous."

"Aniko… would that truly be any different if he wound up favoring another chameleon instead?" Shei questioned her. "Though they would lack any demonic darkness, specifically, the Darkness our people possess is arguably just as dangerous… if not more so, when compared to many demons."

"She is a demon," Aniko managed to respond harshly, despite only using her hands. "You know what Armaris herself is capable of. It would be a spawn of our Darkness, as well as a demon's."

"She is not a full demon, Aniko. She is no more a threat to us and our family than we are to her. You forget that she cares more than enough to not simply allow herself to bring harm to us or our son, no matter what state she is in." Aniko decided not to grace this with more than a huff, crossing her arms. Her gaze fell on Espio and Armaris, attempting to ensure that they hadn't been paying attention. Espio, for his part, wasn't for once. He was actually giving the vast majority of his focus to Sako, truly paying the child attention for the first time. Shei noted this with a glance and a warm feeling inside that chameleons generally never displayed for others to see. In that regard, he was no different to them right now.

Armaris wasn't looking at Aniko and Shei at the moment, but she had been paying attention. Being at the center of someone's hate due to her demonic heritage once more made her angry, but another feeling rose up. She wanted to prove, specifically to Aniko, that she was more than a demon. Maybe it was her feelings for Espio and the need to have approval from his parents for her own fears to be quelled, but whatever it was drove her to make a silent promise. I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of him.

~保護者~

6,639 words this time around. Hope y'all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:55 p.m.) 05-06-20.