Building that held her shop and Julian's clinic had grown so quiet without the voices of usual people running around. Her daughter running the front part of the shop with her son's fiance and Narseh helping during the day with locals. Her husband and son were busy on the upper floors treating sick or people that needed aid. She was away shopping after visiting Muriel and Asra within the woods after forging for herbs for her shop. Aemilia would be running around in between those floors helping one of those parties as a extra set of hands. Made all kinds of noises and sounds that Jewel could label by her heart by closing her eyes as she had her afternoon tea. Was now a quiet void for her when she moved around floor first floor of her shop wit a broom in hand. Stopping when she heard a thud or crashing coming from upstairs that was followed by Julian's laughing or julius shouting.

Didn't help but barely put a smile on her face when she stopped in place and took in the memory before guessing. End up being startled when Kipling came rushing through the front door of the shop with labored breath. He clutched a bond together folder within one of his hands that took up Jewe's attention and had her asking. To watch him duck away from the areas of the windows that weren't covered by thick curtains when he answered. Stating relocating to his mother's homeland and his upcoming marriage to julius, he wanted to visit with legal representative. Reviewing the legalities of landholdings his mother still had within Vesuvia's Heart District.

"What's the verdict?" Jewel wondered.

"Property and all accessories have switched over to me." He sat there. "Being that I was the only living descent to return here and show interest in ownership."

Jewel would forgo further use of her broom by laying it against front desk asking if he wanted anything to drink. He mumbled something about cup of her herbal tea to settle his stomach after what he been through. Going on about letter or two he needed to write to his family he left behind back home about tax payments.

"Worried you don't have enough for back taxs?" Jewel asked.

She some what waved his hand side to side since he didn't want to sell the contains of the estate or the building. Had her understanding he wanted to keep what was left of his mother since he came here to feel connected. How the offer to use Julian's stationary was made by her when she handed him the filled teacup. He accepted with his free hand after huffing out a thank you to her by up lifting the to her as a form of cheering. Got him a head nod from her when she ended up looking out the door's window find any stragglers. Didn't stick out as she was told he ran all the way here after a lengthy jog of taking back allies in order not be followed. Had Jewel being reminded of her younger years with Julian when they use to walk to the Rowdy Raven.

"Lately you seem down?" Kipling asked Jewel, pointing out the lack of her usual smile.

"Seems Julian wasn't only one." She sighed.

Having to explain a lonesomeness she hadn't felt since her days with Asra to Kipling was hard for her with out Julian. Being that he could better help her explain her living circumstances from before they were married. She lived alone in her family's shop all alone from day to day since Asra was always gone on some trip. Julian was returning to Vesuvia after being away for three years on all kinds of adventure of his own. Led to the whirlwind escapade that Kipling knew as a second hand story from julius.

"Maybe I miss my daughter as much as my husband does." She shrugged. "Just don't want to admit..."

She was stopped when a pair of gangly arms full of hair and pale skin one have even seen covered in billowy blouse sleeve. Wrapped around her from the side and slightly opened blouse revealing a muscular chest full of hair. Acted as comfort for Jewel when her smile grew wider at knowing who emb raced her.

"Missed me?" She asked in whispered.

"Very." Julian mumbled back.

Julius walked pass his father and mother calling the two hopeless with roll of his eyes as kneeled down to Kipling. Asking if he was willing to join him for lunch in the back after what his dad been through the last hours. Stating most of the food was left overs from the previous nights they the four of them had eaten together.

"Black-bone chicken soup, stirred- fried duck blood, fungus salad, spare ribs stew with seaweed, served with wild rice with black beans." Kipling listed everything. "I am game."

"Don't we still have some of fermented fruit juice?" Julian wiggled his eye brows.

Got him hit b y Jewel as her way reminding him that she would never agree to him day drinking after his last stunt. Being her and julius finding him at the Rowdy Raven last Saturday night just drinking away his troubles between mugs. Wanting to stop feelings the lack of his daughter's presence and the lessening number of household occupants. Turned into him being dragged home to be sobered up after a long nap and lecture.

"Say that is a no." He was leered at by his son and wife.

"Don't look at me." Kipling felt Julian's eyes on him. "I don't approve of your drinking as much as your own family does."

"This why I am marring him." julius agreed with Kipling.

"I thought it was his talent with his sword you liked." Julian smirked.

Jewel would kiss the side of Julian's face at the joke he tried to make concerning Kipling's use of a bladed weapon. To try to get him to let her go as Kipling was helped off the floor by julius in one have after joining hands. Being careful to not break the half filled tea cup still being held within his other hand.

"Having some of my mom's tea." julius noticed the scent.

"Quite relaxing." Kipling lifts the cup to him.

"Why only thing I can drink without getting jittery." julius toward his father.

"What?" Julian asked noticing where his son was staring. "I'm not that bad."

Jewel would correct her husband about how he behaves once he drinks a few cups of his beloved coffee to stay awake. His insomnia, nervousness and restlessness were only as few things that she seen him go through.

"It's trying to get him to switch over to decaf." She sighed. "That's been the hard part."

"Not as adrenaline pumping." julius joked.

"Maybe the taste?" Kipling asked looking between julius and Jewel.

Julian knew his new family member wasn't going to be nothing like who he thought since the first day he had met him. Had him wanting Narseh to be a enabler like his daughter, so he could further indulgence in his favorites a little longer. He would cross his fingers as he forgot he was holding on to Jewel when he wore a grin of his own.

"He finally lost it?" julius asked with his eyes a glow.

"More like lost in his own mind." Kipling knew that expression.

"Ilya!" Jewel whispered to him. "Time to let me go."

She had to allot of food to re- heat since her son and Kipling weren't very good in using a wood burning stove. Not wanting her husband to treat 2nd to 3rd degree burns after misuse of a cooking fire or their home burning down. She tapped her husband's arms once more with a warning to let her go or she will resort to magic.

"I mean it this tine, I will turn you into a toad." She repeated an old warning. "Let Go!"

She took a breath with her teeth bared and ready to seek into his neck if he wasn't paying attention her. Just this time around her teeth wouldn't be grabbing onto the pale skin of his neck like many times that usually followed. The hold of her was released and Julian stepped back with his eyes shifting to Kipling as he moved. Also moving his hands around to the stairs with a request about his stationary being used to write some kind of letter. That got Kipling to sigh and look at what he been holding for the pass few hours when they were talking.

"We need to talk later." He looked to julius.

"About the thing?" julius pointed at what he laid in his hand.

"Yea and our future." He pointed between them.

Julius sigh as he ended up would end up following his mother to the kitchen while he tried to not worry about Kipling. Asking his mother now safe his fiance was going to be with his father without him there to watch him. Jewel shrugged at the notion since she had a series of mirrors and ascribing spells to watch him and his sister. Stating she wasn't one that could fully trust Julian when they were little after finding all three of them finger painting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kipling was able to write back to his family with news of his wedding to julius and what he planned to do with his mother's home. Letter was two pages and set express with aid from Nadia when she found out about Kipling being half Vesuvian. Portia practically was to smothered him in a hug that would suffocate the air from his lungs. That happen when Julian got his arms on his future son- in- law to tightly that he did pass out in his arms. Jewel was the one that had to separate the two before Kipling stopped breathing all together and needed some kind of resuscitation.

"You mother still with us?" Countess Nadia asked once.

He sadly had to recall that his mother passing was the reason why julius was working for the DeQuetteville

family physician. One could recall that women so sickly, she couldn't leave her bed without falling on her feet from lack of energy. Between the countless bottles of pills and tonics she taking with the MA NY symptoms she was suffering. She had weekly check ups by an aging doctor with his young associate and a pretty nurse until she took her last breath.

"She always said she wanted to be happy." julius addressed Kipling.

"Who knew she meant with you." Kipling pulled a broken pendent from under pocket of his waistcoat.

He ended up opening the clasp to show a hand down drawing of women with high cheek bones and curled tresses. A smile was barely worn on her face as her eyes looked outward to the people Kipling was showing this picture. Julian pointed out where Kipling out his jaw line and cheek bones while Nadia was impressed with her beauty. Portia and Jewel went quiet when they looked upon this picture and then looked at Kipling, repeatedly.

"She saw we were a match before we started sleeping together." julius recalled her always talking about how they would work. "How she would do her told her so dance."

"Don't bring that up." Kipling warned him.

Julian would end up asking about this dance with great interest as he imagined the lyrics being sung with each movement. Nadia ended up wanting to know also before Kipling went into deep detail about the music and steps. Trying his best to not act out a single placement of his foot with his hand gestures and words he put together.

"I'll have to write to my dad for a better reference." Kipling sadly sighed. "I was never one to fully witness her I told you so dance."

"Lucky." julius hands him a napkin.

Kipling took the piece of clothing by trading the opened pendent to julius before getting up from his seat for as breather. Stating he would be right back after a quick break to catch his breath when assuring everyone. Off he would work blocking the sight of his tears with the piece of cloth given to him as best he could muster. Not wanting his crying to be seen by everyone as he picked up his pace to walk away and seek some solace.

"We agreed to come back here after her funeral." julius watched Kipling walk away. "We never stayed for reading of the will or memorial service."

He wanted to go on about how they spent their last days grieving together by making travel plans to come to Vesuvia. Just coming together never worked out since he had a few loose ends to tie up while Kipling was free.

"We never got around to sorting out what was left of his mother's belongings." julius sighed. "...and now..."

He was cut when his father blew his nose so loudly after he started to cry from the touching story of Kipling's dead mother. He could feel his son's eyes now burning a few set of holes into his body from where he now sat. Made him slowly lower the napkin he was using away from his nose as he sniffled a few more times to clear his nasal passage. Mouthing he felt Kipling's pain in his own way by tapping the center of his chest for make a point. Got Jewel and Portia to agree he was a totally sap when it came to emotional moments between his growing family. Nadia was on brick of her own tears about what was being revealed to her about Kipling during this afternoon tea.

"We either plan on renting out the house during warmer seasons or sell altogether." julius shrugged.

"Aren't isn't their anyway else beside Kipling? I mean could do something with the land." Jewel brought.

"From what Kipling can tell me, every member of his mother's family left Vesuvia during early stages of the plague's spread." julius tried to recall. "Everything material was left behind when they up and left for a new home on other half of the world."

He couldn't go on about the story he knew little about since he brought on by the Kipling's father side of family as physician's protege. He learned bits of pieces of Kipling's mother through treating her or when he was with Kipling. Getting a rare visit from his father's former mentor only helped so far when wanted to know about family history.

"Kipling is who we have to ask?" Portia asked looking to where he walked off.

"Do you at least know her maiden name. We can check the town's records for someone by that name and wok from there." Nadia offered.

Left julius sighed needing to think about that one since all he knew was surname that Kipling's mothering took when she married. He was never told her maid name before she wed when in their employ or socializing with their house staff. Back to seat he would go to mentally sort through memory after memory for what he needed.

"Zoilo." He spoke only thing that came to name.

Nadia would speak with Portia about time being set aside to look through local records about this very name, much later. Jewel would end up refilling her husband's tea when he laid his head on her shoulder and asked her maiden name. She gave him a roll of her eyes before stating he had to take that up with her aunt or her cousin. Which left him to bother het once more about when they were going to show up for a the visit like they said in their last letter. She ended up shoving a finger sandwich or two into his mouth to get him to shut up about the subject.

"I am beginning to think you don't like my aunt." Jewel leered at him.

"Ilyushka! Is this true?" Portia asked him rather bothered by this discovery. "Their family and that nephew- in- law is quite a gentlemen compared to you at that age."

"Didn't he make those adorable animals out of sheets of paper?" Nadia asked.

She still had the owl and cat that he did for her once when she visited Jewel's shop around a time Jewel's aunt was there. Way he took pieces of paper within his fingers and made all those folds into the shapes of animals. Was still one of her favorite memories of briefly meeting a young man that barely spoke a word to her.

"He learned that when my aunt was in the orient." Jewel stared at Julian.

"I would love to hear stories about Chin and Jappa." Nadia cooed at the thought.

Jewel would trade off with Portia about leering at Julian until he was down chewing his stuffed mouth to start speaking. Gave her a chance to speak about the what she was told by her Aunt about she sights she saw and what her nephew learned. Seems her aunt ended up befriending