On behalf of the village of I'Carus, we would like to extend a hand to the recently displaced people from Denis. To any family that arrives, a home will be provided. We have worked hard to expand our village to accept those in need, should they ask. However, as the head of the village I must make but one request. I would require that my son lead the team that escorts those willing to I'Carus. It has been far too long since we have seen him, and this appears to be the only way to make him visit his kin.

Sincerely,

Lord Francis Belaira

"If you'd let me have my harem –"

Yoko grit her teeth so hard she was certain the enamel would crack one of these days. "We are in the middle of a mission! This is not the time to discuss this!"

From a few yards away, Vai's agitated voice joined the conversation. "Not to mention some of us can't get a woman! We don't need to hear about how you're going to take them all one day!"

"Vai," the calm tone of the group's leader held an edge of impatience. "If you're unable to pursue a woman's interests that's a you problem for another time. We have more important matters to attend to."

Vai mumbled under his breath, embarrassed at being called out. Dark Schneider crossed his arms over his chest. "What mission? This is a glorified drop-off and vacation from what I was told."

Yoko sighed, unable to believe that she was bearing witness to everything. Walking beside her, Kai covered her mouth with her free hand and struggled to suppress her laughter. She shifted the large bundle of goods in her other arm, letting it rest higher against her hip. It was always entertaining to see Dark Schneider get put in his place, but Vai also being reprimanded was too good. He'd been running his mouth for some time and he was long overdue for the shaming.

Joshua was right; they had a mission they needed to see through. Many of the displaced villagers were being escorted from their temporary lodgings to the village of I'Carus, where they could settle and begin their lives once more. The Belaira family had overseen the village I'Carus for more than a century, attending to its people and helping the community flourish. There had been new developments in the village, expanding its housing. It was a perfect situation for the families who had lost their homes.

When the letter had arrived, Prince Mercy was all too happy to be rid of the refugees, but he wasn't thrilled with having to sacrifice a handful of his warriors to escort them. Lord Mifune, on the other hand, didn't have issue with deciding who would lead the escort. After the prince left the room, he'd discreetly told Joshua to "take the safe route" to I'Carus. It was improper to spite the prince by staying away longer, but Lord Mifune knew it would be a benefit to the younger samurai.

Kai felt the plan made sense. It would lessen the strain on resources, and it would give these people a sense of normalcy. It wouldn't replace the ones lost, but it would allow them to build anew.

As she looked around her at the clusters of civilians walking along, she felt a pang in her chest. It was a familiar sight, one she'd experienced as a child. She didn't like to think about those days, if she could help it. What little she could still call family was likely lost to her now. There had been no sign of Empress Nei or Sean Ari in two years, and she had to figure that if she hadn't picked up a clue, then… 'I won't believe it until I find a body.'

The Sorcerer General looked back to Joshua, watching his frown deepen when Jorg leaned close and whispered something unheard. 'Joshua seems to be more on edge the closer we get to our destination. Of anyone, I would think he would look forward to seeing his family. They were the ones to offer their home for us to stay in.'

Yoko tapped Kai's arm gently, leaning close. "Do you think that Joshua has something that he wants to hide about his family? He's been acting strange since we left the castle."

Kai shrugged. She'd been orphaned as a kid, so she wouldn't know what it was like to be ashamed of family members. "It's hard to say."

With the village coming into view, there was a growing murmur of anticipation from escorts and refugees alike. Many of the samurai had only heard of the village through stories. Joshua tried to give his men grace in that this would be a new experience; excitement was expected. It was natural to be curious, and given the distance from the castle, they would have more than enough time to get their fill.

'I should be back at the castle. I have duties to see to, men to train for the war –' Joshua casually glanced around him, hoping it looked like he was scanning his group as a wellness check. In reality, he was only looking for one person. '–and find a way to speak to Kai about something that doesn't involve battle tactics.'

Every time he started to change topics, Kai would look at him…and he forgot what he was going to say. It's as if she had him under a spell, robbing him of any common sense. She'd watch him flounder confused, asking him what was on his mind, but he'd say it was nothing. Every. Time.

'Kai has no idea what she does to me, and I'm too much of a coward to tell her.' Joshua spared another look in Kai's direction, seeing the wizard walk on the opposite side of Yoko. 'She probably seeks him,' he thought with a pang in his chest. 'It's not as though I haven't seen him run from Kai's bedroom. I have no chance anymore.'

He exhaled slowly as a soft breeze swept by. This wasn't the time to lose focus on the mission. He needed to be on top of everything during their party's stay in I'Carus. His entire family would be there, and that in itself was its own set of problems.

Joshua felt a twinge of anxiety crawl up his back at the sight of a familiar horse and rider at the entrance to the village. Some yards behind the rider were two more on horseback with carts strapped to the tack. It was too soon. He thought that he'd be able to arrive undetected –

"Greetings, little brother! It's been a while since you graced us with your presence!"

"Indeed it has, Paris. I trust everyone is well?" He tried to keep his tone lighter than he felt, hoping his brother wouldn't notice. It was bad enough he could hear the people around him murmuring about the stranger on the horse. If Paris did take note of it, he didn't comment as he slid off the saddle and opened his arms in greeting.

"Swimmingly," Paris grinned. Joshua's brother was only slightly taller, with dark hair that hung in loose curls around his shoulders. Despite those differences, they looked eerily similar. As the samurai approached, Paris closed the distance and embraced his younger brother, clapping him loudly on the back. "You've missed your nieces and nephews growing, you know. Little Adrien will reach your knees in a blink!"

"I doubt it will be that quickly," Joshua smiled, feeling a small weight lift from his chest. One sibling was jovial with him, which gave him hope that he could get Paris on his side when his mother –

Paris looked past his brother for the first time and really noticed the group Joshua was leading. He held up his arm in greeting when he noticed familiar golden eyes. "Hey Jorg! It's good to see you!"

The samurai captain waved back. Nearby, someone else was getting impatient. "You going to introduce us or let us stand here like ducks in a road – OW Yoko! What was that for?!"

The grunt of indignation was not lost on anyone, but those that new Dark Schneider simply ignored it. Joshua could only pray that whatever Yoko was whispering to the wizard would keep him in line. "Paris, I'm sure you recognize some of the men. It…might be best to do introductions when things have settled and everyone is present."

"Yes, right." Paris clapped his hands together. "We've got carts that can bring in the supplies, and my men will see to helping the displaced find suitable homes. There is plenty of room for everyone; Gidion was heading the development project and the last of the new additions were completed this spring. If the townspeople will follow their direction, I'll bring the rest of you to the villa."

The scope of the village wasn't visible from the entrance gate. Its stone walls hid how widespread the land stretched, with large farming plots tilled and producing its first harvest of the season. But it wasn't until the group had started down the main road did they fully take in how expansive I'Carus was.

"You weren't exaggerating about the development," Joshua noted. "I feel as though you could have been a little more specific, Paris. The way you put it, I expected only a few houses finished."

"The hell do you mean?! This isn't a village – this is a kingdom!"

"Vai!" Joshua hissed.

Paris laughed out loud, not at what his brother said, but from Vai's comment. "Well, I guess you could look at it that way, Samurai. Our family has led this village for over a century, what's recorded anyway. The people do tend to refer for us as Lords –"

"Which is not certifiably true –" Joshua cut in.

"But we are nobility, little brother. That part is in the documents."

Joshua glared at the back of his brother's head, making his best friend snicker beside him. Jorg couldn't resist baiting him further. "Sounds like that makes you a prince –"

"Really? That's fascinating!" Yoko commented. "How come you don't talk about your family, Joshua? Paris sounds really nice –"

The horse leading them didn't pause as Paris turned in the saddle to look back. "That's quite the compliment, Miss! Joshua here probably doesn't talk about us because there's so many in the family now, it'd take him a day to fully describe everyone." He gave Yoko a long look and added, "My wife also has red hair. I hope that when we have a daughter one day, that she grows up as lovely as you."

"Tell me when you decide to let Serena know that you'd rather her own daughter take after another woman," Joshua pointed out. "I want to see what she does to you."

"Serena knows her beauty is unmatched –"

"You're digging your grave deeper," Jorg commented, winking at Yoko.

"You know what I mean –"

Yoko blushed and tried to wave off the comment, but behind her Dark Schneider didn't look amused. He didn't give a damn who this Paris was or how noble his family was; no one was supposed to talk about how good looking his woman was but him! He already got pissed that the samurai had ignored him earlier, and now this guy had just looked Yoko up and down. 'He's already got a woman, he sure as fuck ain't getting my Yoko!'

Dark Schneider looked from Yoko to Kai. 'Don't know why he didn't give Kai the stare down instead. I mean, I'm gonna take all the women in the world for my harem one day, but Yoko is supposed to bear my children. Kai's fair game – for the moment.'