Author's Note: I like this chapter for several reasons: more cute moments, another scene I had too much fun with, and our first real present-day speed bump. Also, you know if we're in Cropdale, we have to include Wooly-Ooly somewhere. :P

Chapter Eight: Of Festivals and Boars

The next morning after breakfast, Garud made one of his rare direct statements to Osvald and Hector.

"Your boy needs some new clothes," he announced. "Stay here."

Hector blinked, and Osvald nodded. Meanwhile, Pala and Agnea headed towards the door; "We gotta do some shopping today," Pala explained. This left Osvald and Hector alone with Garud for the time being.

Soon, Garud set a stool down in the living room and gestured for them to join him. Osvald offered Hector a hand once they approached him, and Hector carefully stepped up onto the stool. He watched with his usual puzzled interest as Garud took out a measuring tape and held it up to his arm.

"Agnea's told us what she knows, and what she thinks," Garud said as he measured. He paused, jotted some notes onto a scrap of paper, and added simply, "He's had it rough."

Osvald hummed in acknowledgement, absently reaching down to brush some of Hector's hair aside. "But he's strong."

Hector smiled and leaned into the contact, and Osvald added, "Ah, hold still, Hector. Apologies."

Sheepishly, Hector straightened up. Garud just grunted in reply, nodding as he adjusted the measuring tape around Hector's calf. After a few more minutes, he was finished. Garud pulled back and observed Hector intently.

"…He likes the colors," he mused.

Then, he abruptly stood up, gathered his notes, and headed into his workshop. Osvald and Hector blinked at each other. Well, Hector was wearing one of the brightest shirts he'd picked up back in Montwise… It was true that his clothes fit awkwardly, too. Still, he hoped Agnea hadn't put Garud up to this. There was no way he'd accept payment for it if so.

Finally, Osvald shrugged, helped Hector down from the stool, and suggested, "What do you say we try swimming today?"

"Okay, Papa!"

With that, they headed towards the door, and Hector merrily swung his free hand as they made their way to the trail leading out of Cropdale.

Neither of them had any appropriate swimming clothes, Osvald realized as they arrived at the river. They'd just have to make do with what they were wearing.

Osvald peeled off his coat and shirt, set his shoes aside, and rolled up the legs of his trousers. Hector was already barefoot, as usual, and he watched Osvald attentively. He shed his shirt as well, but he stared up at Osvald, obviously expecting an explanation.

"Fewer things to dry off later," Osvald said, and Hector nodded in satisfaction.

Osvald paused as Hector sat down and dipped his feet into the water. It was unavoidable for Hector's hair to get wet, but Osvald wanted to keep his own as dry as possible… And his was long enough that it would dip into the water unless he pulled it back.

Osvald fished a cord out of his coat pocket and tugged his hair into a low, loose bun. Then, he climbed down into the river (the temperature was surprisingly pleasant) and offered a hand to Hector. Hector carefully climbed down, clinging to Osvald's arm. He held still for a few seconds, adjusting to the water. Then, he closed his eyes and smiled, reminding Osvald of a content cat.

"It feels nice," he said.

Osvald's lips twitched. "Good. Now let's see if you can float. Here, lie on your stomach and keep your head up."

Osvald shifted his hands so they were under Hector's stomach. In turn, Hector relaxed his limbs, letting Osvald move him into position. Finally, Osvald took a deep breath and moved backwards.

Hector looked at him curiously, and Osvald sighed in relief. He wasn't panicking and making himself sink—this was a good start.

"All right; try treading water. Keep your arms up and move your legs like you're walking."

Hector nodded as he shifted and followed the directions. Osvald automatically moved closer, but it turned out he didn't need to worry. So far, Hector was keeping his head above water… He wondered if this was part instinct. They'd only been out a few minutes, and Hector was picking it up quickly.

…Well, there was one way to find out, Osvald thought.

"Very good. Now, on your stomach again."

Hector obligingly moved into position, and Osvald rested his hands beneath him.

"Now, kick your legs and try moving your arms. I'll move away in a few seconds, but I'll stay close if you need me."

Hector nodded, slowly trying out some swimming motions. Good; Osvald could probably step back now—

He was distracted when he heard a pair of unfamiliar voices. Osvald absently glanced over his shoulder and spotted a pair of women from Cropdale walking down the trail. They were both holding small woven baskets; they were probably going to pick fruit in the forest.

Then, they looked in Osvald's direction and giggled. He wasn't sure if they saw Hector, but they were clearly looking at him. Osvald felt his face heat up, and he cleared his throat as he turned around. It was then that he noticed Hector's weight was gone, and Osvald nearly panicked when he heard the quiet splashing sounds.

"Hector—"

"Am I doing it wrong?

Hector blinked as he slowed to a stop. His movements were slightly jerky… His limbs had moved in awkward, angular motions that made him look like…well, like a large frog. But he'd spent the past few seconds swimming on his own, with no help necessary.

Osvald shook his head. "No, you're doing it perfectly. Keep going."

Hector grinned, but then he peeked around Osvald's arm. He glanced over his shoulder again and saw that the two women were nearly at the western forest. However, they shot one more look at Osvald and giggled again before disappearing past the trees.

He could tell from Hector's facial expression that something had just clicked. "Do they…think you're cute, Papa?"

Osvald nearly choked. "Something like that. But let's go back to swimming."

Fortunately, Hector shifted and started kicking the water again, but he gave Osvald a curious look. Osvald tried to put that ridiculousness out of his head. It was more important that he'd confirmed something today: swimming was indeed pure instinct for Hector. Osvald needed to write that down later.

But if he took Hector out again, Osvald would leave his shirt on. Wearing wet clothes was a small price to pay if it meant avoiding embarrassment.

Papa was confusing, Hector decided.

He'd put his extra clothes back on as soon as they were done swimming—without even waiting to dry off!—and barely said anything after they climbed out of the water. Then, he gave Hector an extra-long list of math problems once they got back to Agnea's house. That wasn't too bad; Hector was much better at adding and subtracting now, so the extra work was fun.

He just didn't understand why Papa disliked compliments so much. It was like that on Toto'haha, too; Papa had protested every time Ochette said something nice about him. It…well, it felt good, Hector thought. He liked being praised, so why didn't Papa?

Then again, Hector still wasn't used to it. He frowned as his pen slowed to a halt over his paper. Harvey had mostly just yelled at him, after all. Maybe he only liked compliments because they were new. Did that mean Papa got compliments too often, and now he was tired of them? Would Hector get sick of compliments, too?

Well, he would just have to find out. But Hector felt unnerved as he returned to the equations. He didn't want to get tired of something he liked!

Finally, Hector tentatively leaned over and tugged on Papa's sleeve for attention. It took a few seconds for him to look up. At first Hector wondered if Papa was still annoyed from earlier, but then he glanced down and realized that couldn't be the case. There were several books and a large stack of paper spread out on the table, and Papa sighed as he scratched out something he'd written.

"…Hm? Oh, sorry. I was thinking."

Papa was just busy, and Hector realized that he got quiet when he was thinking. He squinted in the direction of Garud's workroom. Agnea's papa was like that, too. Garud had been polite enough so far, but their conversations had been…limited.

"I'm done, Papa." Hector slid the sheet of questions towards him, and then furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "…Does everyone do that?"

He paused, quill hovering over Hector's problems. "What do you mean?"

Hector pointed towards the workroom. "Agnea's papa is like you."

"Oh." Papa looked amused as he checked Hector's work. "No, not everyone. But I suppose we're alike."

Hector nodded as he watched Papa look over his answers. Finally, he set his quill down and patted Hector on the shoulder. Papa gestured at one equation near the bottom of the page.

"This is the only one you missed," he explained. "I haven't given you as many with addition and subtraction, have I? But you got all of the others right. Very good."

Hector squinted at it. Papa had written the correct answer next to it, and he nodded. He was relieved that he'd gotten the others right, though… Before he could speak up again, the front door burst open. Pala and Agnea entered the kitchen (which was where Hector and Papa had been working) and set a few bags down on the counter.

"Well, that took longer than expected!" Agnea sighed. "But we should have everything for dinner tonight. I'm gonna practice my dance some more. You want to watch, Hector?"

He nodded eagerly, and then glanced over at Papa for permission. After a few seconds' thought, Papa nodded and began gathering up his things.

"I can work on this outside. It's fine."

"Right, then! I'll be back later, Pala."

Pala nodded, grabbed a few things from one of the bags, and darted towards her bedroom. Hector and Papa followed Agnea outside, and Agnea hummed as they headed to the festival grounds. Every now and then, she paused to twirl in a half-circle, clearly enjoying herself.

When they arrived, Papa spread his books out in a spot near the back. Hector sat closer to the stage, watching raptly as Agnea worked through the steps of her routine. Last time, she'd done it with Papa, and it was…slightly odd, watching her do it alone this time. Still, she obviously knew the routine well, as she had the same kind of energy and confidence in her movements that she had before.

It was…well, Hector didn't know the proper word for it. But watching Agnea dance, even by herself, made him feel relaxed yet happy at the same time. And he knew, from the bits of conversation he'd overheard so far, that the festival would have other dancers and singers, too. Would all of them be the same way?

"And…there." Agnea nodded as she finished up. "Now I should be ready when Stephen gets back."

She glanced down at Hector, crouched near the edge of the stage, and offered him a hand. "How about you get up here, too? I can teach you a few moves!"

Hector promptly nodded. He took Agnea's hand, and she carefully helped him up onto the stage. The wood felt interesting beneath his feet, Hector thought… It was smooth, but there were a few indents here and there, obviously places that people had stepped on frequently.

"Right, the first thing you should remember is that dancing is fun," Agnea said. "So there's not really a right way to do it! But…if you want to start with something simple…"

She took Hector's hand, and he glanced down at her feet as she took a few steps. He tried to mimic her, but he stumbled over the last one. Agnea laughed gently as she helped him straighten up.

"Guess you aren't too used to this yet, huh? Just watch me again…"

Agnea repeated the movements she'd just done, and Hector attempted to copy her again. That time went much more smoothly, and then Agnea went on to quicker, fancier steps. Those were harder, and Hector pursed his lips as he stumbled again.

His feet were all wrong. They were too big, much bigger than Agnea's were. He couldn't move as lightly as she did—it was all his fault—

"It isn't hard, boy. What's wrong with you?"

"Hey, are you okay?"

Agnea knelt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Hector took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded. Agnea wasn't going to yell at him. She was nice. Hector knew that.

"…I'll do it again," he replied as he stood up.

That time, he got it right. Soon, Agnea was teaching him longer sequences and faster steps. Hector fell a few more times, but he got up quickly. It was just another kind of puzzle, really—and he wanted to figure it out. Agnea made it look fun, and she wanted him to have fun, too. That was all.

Finally, Agnea spun him around in a circle, and Hector smiled as they came to a halt. He knew nothing they'd done today was too flashy, but…he felt like he'd learned a lot. Dancing was fun, he decided.

"So, what did you think?"

"I like it," Hector said decisively. "We should do it again."

"Well, we'll see what we can do while you're here!"

Agnea climbed down from the stage and offered Hector her hand. Once she'd helped him down, they turned around and walked towards Papa. He was hunched over his books, still scratching away at whatever he'd been working on.

"Can you believe that's the closest thing I ever saw to a smile on Osvald's face?" Agnea giggled as she gestured at him. "But it is nice to watch him work. All of those fancy magic books do make your papa happy."

Hector cocked his head to the side as he observed Papa. His expression was considerably milder than the one he usually wore around Hector. But there was a hint of a smile beneath Papa's moustache, and Hector could tell that he was enjoying himself.

"Ochette says he's 'more smiley' now," Hector mused.

"I can see why. You make him happy, too." Agnea smiled gently as she patted Hector on the head. Then, she raised her voice slightly and said, "We're finished, Osvald!"

Again, it took Papa a few seconds to look up. He winced as he attempted to pop his neck, and then reached down to start gathering up his notes.

"How was it, Hector?"

"It was good," Hector decided. "I want to try dancing again."

"Maybe you can while we're here." Papa straightened up, gathered his books in one arm, and let Hector latch onto his free hand. "But this is a good time for a break."

Hector nodded as they left the festival grounds. Yes, it had been awkward earlier, but he'd enjoyed himself overall. He looked forward to learning more, and he was sure Agnea wouldn't mind.

The next few days passed quickly. Hector was reading short books on his own, and he did more and more math problems without needing help. Osvald read from his magic tomes as Hector worked, and they often curled up next to each other in the living room or near the river in an easy kind of silence. Then, Osvald typically let Hector swim in the afternoons, but they took short walks through the eastern stretch of woods several times, too.

Then the evening of the festival arrived. Agnea hummed in thought as she looked at Hector, and he blinked up at her.

"We gotta get you dressed up, too! It's more fun when you get to look all fancy," she commented. "Though I guess we don't have much for you to wear… Oh! I'll fix your hair."

Osvald watched in amusement as Hector cocked his head to the side. He didn't seem to mind the attention, but he was puzzled by it all the same. Hector sat down in a chair in the kitchen while Agnea perched herself behind him.

"Hm, I should probably trim the edges first," Agnea murmured. "Then I can put it in a braid, like mine."

She gestured to her own hair as Hector looked curiously over his shoulder. Then, she produced a pair of scissors and carefully straightened up the bottom of Hector's hair. Finally, Agnea got to work on the braid, smiling as she did so.

"You have such pretty hair! It's nice and thick, just like your papa's." She glanced up at Osvald. "It's a shame you don't do more with yours."

"No one's going to be looking at me," Osvald replied, shrugging.

"Well, I guess not. But if you wanted to…"

He didn't see the point. People went to festivals to watch the performers, not the other audience members. But Hector seemed to be enjoying the attention, and Osvald was glad for that. Agnea tied the end of the braid, and then reached for a spare flower pin similar to her own. She clipped it onto the right side of Hector's head, nodding as she observed her work.

"Very cute, don't you think?"

Hector smiled appreciatively as he stroked his hair. He was adorable like that, Osvald thought. It was simple, but Agnea knew what she was doing.

"It's a shame to cover it up," Osvald agreed.

"Well, a bunch of people will be in costumes," Agnea said thoughtfully. "I doubt they're gonna say too much if they do notice him…"

And so Osvald decided to let Hector go without his hood, but he still required him to wear shoes. Osvald made sure to keep hold of Hector's hand as they went down to the festival grounds. There were already a good number of people assembled; most were seated, but some milled around the entrance. Several villagers had prepared food and other trinkets, and Hector was clearly curious about trying them.

…Osvald still didn't like crowded areas, and the grounds filled in as the various performances got started. He wanted Hector to have a clear view, but he didn't want to get too close, either. (Besides, Osvald thought, he'd just block everyone'd view if he sat too close to the front…)

"Would you like to sit on my shoulders, Hector?" he suggested.

"Can I, Papa?"

Really, it wouldn't be long before he was "too old" for that. There was no harm in letting him have some fun now, though, and Osvald wanted to make up for lost time. So he nodded, knelt down, and let Hector climb up onto his back.

The various shows were nice, Osvald admitted. Agnea's dance in particular turned out well, but that didn't surprise him. The various other dancers and musicians knew what they were doing, too. Hector raptly watched and listened to them, taking in all the new sights and sounds.

From back here, it wasn't too bad, and Agnea was right. No one looked at Hector very much, which allowed him to enjoy the evening breeze without his stifling hood.

It was long into the night before everyone packed up and left, but Osvald decided it was worth it to let Hector stay up late. It was another new experience for him, which was certainly worth having. Osvald yawned as they arrived back at Agnea's home, however, hoping he didn't sleep in tomorrow. He'd just have to deal with that later.

Osvald grunted in annoyance as he cracked an eye open the next morning. Judging from the light streaming through the window, he had indeed slept later than usual. Oh, well; nothing he could do about that now… He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, rubbing them as he tried to wake up fully.

"Breakfast is ready!" Pala called cheerfully from the next room. "Gather up Hector and come eat with us."

Osvald rubbed his forehead as he sat up. "What do you mean, 'gather up Hector'?"

Pala poked her head into the living room. "Well, he ain't in here. You let him out, didn't you?"

Osvald reached for his glasses and finally looked at the cot next to him. It was empty, with the pillow and sheets slightly askew. The implications took several seconds to sink in, and Osvald abruptly threw his covers aside and scrambled into the kitchen.

"Of course I didn't let him out. I was sleeping! Didn't anyone see—?"

Agnea jumped. She'd been slicing fruit at the counter and was started by Osvald's entrance.

"Hang on, I don't think Pala did anything." She frowned lightly. "She's been in here with me, and we haven't seen him. And Papa's already in his workshop, so…"

Osvald took a few deep breaths. Of course…he hadn't meant to blame anyone. But—

"Right, so he's been gone a while. I'm going out."

Osvald immediately went outside, trying to think about this logically. (How was he supposed to be logical right now?!) Hector had clearly left before Agnea started on breakfast, probably before Garud began working, and definitely before Osvald woke up. But where could he have gone off to?

The river, maybe? He'd enjoyed all of his swimming lessons. Osvald knew Hector was a decent enough swimmer. But if he'd been in the water for that long—

No, Osvald refused to entertain the idea. He swallowed, glanced around, and noticed a set of large, frog-like footprints on the ground nearby.

Good, Hector was apparently barefoot as usual. That would make him easier to find. Osvald closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and ran off in the direction of the footprints.

They went towards the trail leading to the festival grounds and abruptly turned off to the right. The prints then disappeared at the riverbank. Osvald nearly panicked again until he noticed the slight indents on the opposite bank. Someone must have climbed out of the water there. While they were too muddy and smeared to identify, they were the best lead Osvald had to go on.

He quickly waded through the water and went towards the eastern forest. There were a few more smudged prints, but they became more recognizable soon. So far, so good—Hector seemed to have come this way. Hopefully, he was still here.

Finally, after taking a few small turns in the path, Osvald saw two shapes in the distance. One was the unmistakable, hulking form of a duorduor. The other was significantly smaller, yet awkwardly lanky: obviously Hector. From here, Osvald couldn't tell what they were doing, but—

"Hector, get down!" he shouted, raising a hand as he prepared a spell. "Strike them d—"

"B-but he's nice, Papa!"

Osvald slowed to a halt and lowered his hand. Lightning crackled around it for a few seconds, and his fingers tingled as the spell receded. Now he could tell that the duorduor wasn't doing much. It snorted and lowered its head towards Hector, but it sniffed at him curiously instead of ramming into him.

Hector stood frozen, one hand on the duorduor's nose as he looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened, and he stared at Osvald in silence for several increasingly-awkward seconds. Then, he buried his face into the side of the duorduor's snout, prompting it to nudge him lightly in confusion.

"…Hector?" Osvald said cautiously, taking a few steps towards him.

Hector remained quiet and didn't look back at him. It sank in suddenly that this was the first time Hector had heard Osvald yelling, even if it had only partially been at him. And he'd been casting a spell in Hector's direction, even if Osvald had intended it for the duorduor. The rather horrible realization hit him: Hector must've thought Osvald was mad at him, that he was going to hurt him—

He was behaving like Harvey must have, and Osvald inhaled sharply as his head spun. (All right, he wasn't quite as bad as Harvey, but he'd scared Hector.)

"Hector, please, come here a moment, I…"

Osvald sank to his knees and extended a hand in Hector's direction. At the lack of response, he kept speaking, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"I'm not angry. Not at you. I was afraid."

Finally, Hector lifted his head and turned around. His eyes were still wide, and he was breathing heavily, but at least he was looking at Osvald. And that motivated him to continue.

"I woke up and you were gone, and I had no idea where you were. You could've been hurt." Osvald swallowed dryly. "You've already been hurt enough, and if you were because I wasn't paying attention to you, then I… I don't want to lose you, Hector, please."

The duorduor snorted and gently nudged Hector's arm. He took a few shaky steps towards Osvald, and then he ran forward and flung his arms around his shoulders. Hector shook as he buried his face in Osvald's neck, and Osvald slowly pulled him into a hug.

"It's all right, Hector. I'm sorry. I just…wanted to know you were safe." He bit his lip, and then quietly added, "I-I love you, very much."

Gods, why did he always have to make it sound like some kind of…physical thing in his throat he was choking on? Why was this the first time Osvald had told his son that he loved him? He'd ruined it, and Hector would never want to hear him say it again. (Even though he knew Hector needed to hear it, that he'd never heard it once in his entire life, and he needed to know Osvald wasn't mad at him.)

"Sorry, Papa," Hector mumbled, clearly trying not to cry as he held on tighter. "Y-you let me go out before."

It took him a second to realize that Hector meant back on Toto'haha, and Osvald sighed. He pulled back slightly, leaving his hands on Hector's shoulders as he spoke.

"That's because Ochette was with you, and I knew where you were. I don't mind you playing outside, I just…want you to tell me."

"O-okay."

Hector sniffled and finally looked up at him. His eyes were watering, his frills drooped, and his shoulders were slumped. Clearly, he expected Osvald to yell at him again (why had he done that?). Then, the duorduor snorted abruptly, and Osvald jumped. He'd almost forgotten about it in the past few seconds.

Hector gave him a hesitant smile. "…Wooly-Ooly says you're a good dad."

Osvald's brow furrowed. "What?"

"H-he said—"

"There you are!"

Hector was cut off when Agnea and Pala suddenly appeared behind them. They were both out of breath, and Pala paused to wipe her forehead. Agnea sighed and rested a hand on her chest, clearly relieved.

"We were looking for you," she explained. "Pala and I went the other way, just be sure you didn't go there. We came over here when we didn't find you."

"I keep telling you, nothing ever happens over there, Agnie," Pala groaned. "Except the time you an' Gus got all worked up for nothing…"

"Well, that's…" Agnea grinned sheepishly before looking at the duorduor. "Speaking of which…you wouldn't happen to be the same one, would you?"

He pawed the ground and made a snorting noise that was probably supposed to sound happy. Ah, that explained it. Hadn't Castti invented some silly nickname when she and Ochette were here?

"I thought so!" Agnea grinned. "I left out some treats for you last night so you wouldn't run into the festival. I guess that's why you're still here, huh? Looking for more?"

Wooly-Ooly snorted again, and Agnea giggled as she reached into a pocket in her apron. Pala sighed as she pulled out a peach slice and handed it to the beast. Honestly, it was a miracle he didn't bite her hand off, considering how quickly he devoured the fruit.

Agnea nodded and patted him on the snout. "See, you aren't so bad!"

…Osvald still didn't know what to make of the whole situation. Logically, he knew it could've gone much worse, and he should be happy about that. But he'd handled the whole thing horribly, and he wouldn't forget his utter panic anytime soon.

Eventually, Osvald cleared his throat, looked over at Agnea and Pala, and said, "…Sorry I shouted earlier."

"Well, we knew you were worried," Pala replied, shrugging.

It wasn't a "that's all right," but that was fair. He knew they understood what had happened. Osvald needed to make it up to Hector, though. He chewed his lip as he glanced back down at him, and Hector watched him uncertainly.

"No homework today," he announced. "You can do anything you'd like. What do you want, Hector?"

Hector glanced down as he thought it over. Then he looked up and mumbled, "I-I want to play with Wooly-Ooly. And can we swim later? You just watch, Papa. Can you…"

He trailed off, clearly nervous about Osvald's response. Osvald rested a hand behind his frill, gently tipping Hector's face back up.

"Of course. I did say 'anything'."

Hector smiled—and then his stomach grumbled. Agnea and Pala both giggled, and even Wooly-Ooly looked amused.

"…After breakfast."

Hector nodded, waving tentatively at the duorduor as he and Osvald straightened up. For a moment, Osvald worried that Hector wouldn't accept his hand, but he latched onto Osvald as usual when they started walking. Yes, it could've gone much worse… But he'd spend the rest of the day convincing Hector everything was all right.

Honestly, letting Hector play with Wooly-Ooly was a terrible idea. He was obviously having fun: he laughed in delight as he crawled up the beast's back or swung around while clinging to his tusks. But Osvald's paternal instincts screamed in protest every time he watched them. To be fair, Wooly-Ooly was gentler than his massive size suggested… Osvald just wished they could do something less risky.

Well, no one got hurt, and swimming was much better for Osvald's heart rate. He pointedly left his shirt on, though it turned out to be unnecessary; no one saw them that time. When they climbed out of the water, Osvald sighed and attempted to wring his hair out. It would take a long time to dry, but…that was a small price to pay for Hector enjoying himself.

Hector tugged on Osvald's damp sleeve, and he obligingly looked down at him. "Papa, you said you love me this morning. What does that mean?"

It was a little heartbreaking that he had to ask, and Osvald chewed the inside of his cheek as he pondered how best to explain it. Despite acknowledging it to himself, and even saying it aloud, Osvald was terrible at the how and why behind it. Hector deserved better.

Finally, he wrapped an arm around Hector, took a deep breath, and said, "Well, there are different…kinds, you know, it's not like spells or equations where they're the same every time you use them…"

Hector furrowed his eyebrows, bewildered by the analogy, and Osvald shook his head as he went on.

"I'm confusing you. I…want you to be happy, but I also want you to be safe and careful. I want to be able to take care of you, and that's a promise I can make you, no matter what." His arm tightened around Hector. "So that's what means for you. Do you understand?"

Hector nodded, leaning up against him. "I do. Thank you, Papa."

…He still didn't feel like he'd done well enough, but he knew Hector understood how he felt, and that he'd forgiven Osvald for earlier. That was what mattered.

The next morning at the breakfast table, Osvald tuned out a good deal of the usual early chatter. Something Agnea said caught his attention, however, and he glanced over at her.

"…so I'm thinking about going to New Delsta soon," she told Garud. "It's been a while since I've seen Gil, and I'd like to dance at his tavern again. Maybe Ku after that…"

It was only natural she'd have plans of her own. He was lucky that he'd come by while she was in Cropdale. And depending on when she left…

"We shouldn't stay much longer, either," Osvald muttered, partly to himself but still out loud.

Agnea cocked her head to the side. "Oh, don't worry! I'm sure no one will mind if—"

"I know, but we should anyway."

Osvald kept his voice even, but he was nervous about heading back to Conning Creek. He still didn't know what would happen if…

Garud cleared his throat. "Not 'til tomorrow, at least. I need to finish up the clothes."

The clothes for Hector. Right. Garud had other projects he'd been working on, but Hector's single outfit was a simple one. He'd devoted some time to it off and on, but it needed a few finishing touches.

"And I wasn't going to leave for a few more days, anyway." Agnea nodded decisively. "So! Hector, you want to dance some more today?"

Hector perked up and nodded. Well, Osvald was glad he had something to look forward to. They'd just have to see where things went afterwards.

Osvald spent most of the day absently reading his tome on lightning theory, but he paused to update his notes on Hector around lunchtime. He also understands the duorduor, Osvald added. It's likely he understands all monsters, then.

The next morning, Garud presented Hector with his new outfit. The trousers were made from a pale denim material, while the shirt was splashed with various colors of dye in random patterns. Hector immediately ran off to put it on, and Garud observed him for several seconds before patting him on the head. Osvald paid him and shook his hand, gratefully yet silently.

Pala waved while Agnea hugged both Osvald and Hector. Osvald cleared his throat as Agnea stepped back and grinned at them.

"You're always welcome back here if you need it!"

"I know. …Thank you." Osvald sighed, and then smiled down at Hector. "Hector? It's time to go."

Hector shyly hugged all three of them—even Garud, much to his daughters' amusement—before they headed for the door. He took Osvald's hand as they walked towards the edge of the small village. Osvald remained silent, a complicated swirl of thoughts going through his mind.

"…Papa?" Hector finally said. "We can come back here, right?"

He shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded. "Someday, if you want to. But first…we need to visit Conning Creek."

Hector nodded and smiled as they continued walking. Yes—for now, Osvald needed to stay calm and figure out what to do next. He could worry later, depending on how his meeting with Clarissa went.

It was time to head home again.