Chapter 5:
Oregon set the table as Kiem finished cooking in the kitchen. He set the last fork down just as Kiem came out with a plate full of carved, delicious meat. There was an assortment of other foods around the table, such as vegetables that grew from their sister's garden, and cups of water and wine. "Well. Now we just have to wait for everyone to get home." Kiem said, removing his oven mitts.
"Do we really?" Oregon whined. "Lance takes forever to come home from his job! Food will be cold by then."
"Well, it's quite rude to want to start dinner without your brother." Spoke a voice that came from the front door.
In stepped a tall, muscular man dressed in armor. Oregon shared his thick arms and round stomach with his uncle, while Kiem was thin and lanky like his sister Parsley. Lance was built much like their father, strong and tall, with sharp features on his face. Oregon and Kiem had their mother's thick curly red hair, but Lance, despite being their triple sibling, had blonde straight hair that he kept tied in a bun, much like his little sister.
"But I am home now so you can stop complaining. I also brought a present for Parsley." He said, holding a small box. He looked around. "Where is our sister?" He asked.
"Pretty sure she stuck around with Garth to clean the shop," Oregon replied, pouring himself a cup of water. "Or at least that's where I last saw her."
"Hm." Lance hummed, while it wasn't abnormal for Parsley to stay back and help their uncle with chores, he couldn't help but get a weird pit in his stomach. "It's dark out now." He replied, more serious than before. "I hope he's walking with her here, and she's not traveling alone at night."
"You know Garth would never let her walk alone in the dark," Kiem responded, having already sat down at the table, with a book in his face. "Besides, even if she was walking around, who was gonna fuck around with the Head Gaurd's little sister?"
Suddenly the door behind them opened, and in came Garth. He gave a jolly smile. "Well hello, boys!" He said. Removing his jacket to hang on the coat hanger. "Is dinner finally ready?"
Oregon looked at his uncle, confused. "Hey, Garth. Is Parsley with you?" He asked.
"No why?" Garth replied, halfway through taking off his shoes. The boys shared a worried look now.
"Did she stay to help you clean the shop?" Lance asked. Garth shook his head, frows furrowed now.
"No, she went home right as the shop closed. I'm pretty sure she was walking with Maru. Did she not come home?" The air grew tense.
Oregon and Kiem shared a look, they worried for their sister, yes, but they also knew what kind of man a pissed Lance was. Lance stood, staring down at his uncle with a stone-cold expression. "I'm going to go look for her." He said, attempting to push his way out the door. Oregon approached, blocking his way. "Move." The armored man ordered.
"Listen. Yes, we need to look for her." He said, feeling Lance's blue eyes pierce into him. "But we also need to be calm and rational about this. Maybe she just decided she was going to spend the night with her friend, or maybe she's at a bar having a drink, let's take a breath." He said, mocking a breath. "We don't need to cause a ruckus until we know for sure she's missing."
Despite all the boys being the same age, Lance was always seen as the 'eldest' and this became more apparent when they had all lost their parents. Lance had always been protective, especially towards Parsley. He felt responsible for Parsley's safety, even now that the woman was grown he felt a need to protect her.
Lance looked at Oregon, then Garth, and then Kiem. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright." He said. "I'll remain calm, but we're looking for her right now. All of us." Setting the box on the ground by the door, He walked out the door with determination.
Oregon was out the door soon as well, following behind his brother. Garth started putting his boots and his coat back on, and he looked towards Kiem.
"I'll stay here in case she comes back, and I'll keep the food warm," Kiem replied. Garth just stared daggers at the boy. "Fine, I'll go," Kiem said with a sigh, standing up from his seat. "I work hard on this dinner too."