The Valiant set sail at 6am sharp. That meant waking up at 5am to get ready and eat breakfast.

I wasn't too thrilled about that.

"Don't fill up on breakfast. Sorry… it's an old superstition that if you leave port full you won't make it back," Pearl mumbled sheepishly. She knew I had no reason to observe their superstitions, but I left more than half my meal anyway. It was probably for the best. I hadn't been on a boat in a while, and definitely hadn't traveled the sorts of seas Vale had to offer. I couldn't afford to have an upset stomach in these waters.

It was interesting watching the family work together. Cenote seemed to take direction from Cousteau on where to go, while the young man kept incredibly quiet, eyes closed as he concentrated on the waves.

"It's his Semblance," Pearl explained as she worked on readying a net with me. "He's got really good hearing. He says he can hear the fish swimming around and making noise down there. I think he's bullshitting."

"I can also hear you talking about me," Cousteau said pointedly, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

I thought about that for a moment. If he could hear the fish, then… I reached into my pocket and fished out my Scroll, taking a few seconds to type out a message for Pearl that her brother couldn't hear. I didn't want to distract him from his job.

Can't he hear Grimm approach?

Pearl shook her head as she read the message and reached for the Scroll to respond.

They're usually Quiet when they're hunting. By the time they make noise, it's too late.

Interesting.

"Dad, we're coming up on a big school. Pretty sure it's cod? We should drop the net in five if we keep going straight!"

"Good ears, Cousteau! Pearl, you ready?"

"Already on it, Cenote!" Pearl had a fierce grin on her face as she threaded the net through a large beam. I'd seen it used on commercial fishing boats before, but I honestly had no idea what any of this was called or how it worked. I'd fished before, but for my family, not commercially. And it'd been with a rod and reel. It was completely out of my element, but I still did my best to help, and took Pearl's lead where I could.

"Cast the net, port-side" Cousteau shouted, his navy blue hair whipped in a frenzy by the salty sea breeze.

"Left," Pearl explained, pushing a lever that swung the large arm holding the net over the left side of the boat. I threaded the net through, letting the sea take the dozens of pounds of braided rope as it was cast overboard.

"Keep it steady dad," Cousteau shouted, practically hanging off the side of the Valiant as he did his best to listen for the sound of churning water beneath the boat. I could tell that the three worked well together. I could only imagine how much better their little team had been when Pearl's mother was still around.

I felt a tiny pang of guilt at that thought. I'd broken up my team…

I had to get to Patch.

"Up! Up!" Cousteau gave the signal and frantically waved his arms, getting Pearl's attention. Pearl nodded and tugged on the end of the rope, her muscles straining as she fought against the weight of the net.

"Blake, hit that button in front of you," Pearl shouted as she tugged the rope as hard as she could. I didn't need to be told twice. The moment I hit the button, the net began to move on its own, dragged through the giant metal arm on a set of wheels and pulleys. I watched as the net slowly began to break the water's surface, holding hundreds- no, thousands- of cod. We'd only been on the ocean for an hour and I could feel my stomach begin to rumble at seeing so many fish in one place.

It was beautiful.

"Good job, Cousteau," Cenote shouted with a loud laugh, watching as the fish were dumped into the boat.

"Thanks dad!"

"Pearl, Blake! You girls are doing amazing!" Cenote leaned into the wheel, turning the boat to get another pass at the school beneath the boat.

"No prob, Cenote," Pearl shouted back, giving him a big thumbs up as she started sorting through the fish. "We throw anything under two feet back so it's got a fair shot at breeding. Scoop them up too early and the fisheries run dry," she explained.

That seemed like an easy enough job for myself, and I quickly got to work sorting through the fish and tossing the shorts overboard while Pearl got back to the net. We cast the net another four times within the hour. It was nice being part of a team again. Even if just for a small while. Even if I wasn't very good at fishing, and could only do whatever Pearl instructed me to do. Still, all the fish on the boat was a fairly encouraging sign of how well we were doing.

I was able to keep my mind and my hands occupied the entire time. It was fun, rewarding work. If not a little frustrating that such tasty food wasn't ready to be eaten just yet. I'd tossed a few hundred fish overboard by noon, and we'd gone from fishing cod to mackerel after just a few miles changing course.

"How's the haul looking, girls," Cenote asked curiously, casting a glance over his shoulder at us as we worked.

"This is looking like a season high, Cenote. We take on any more and we're gonna capsize the Valiant," Pearl said with a loud chuckle. "I think Blake here's good luck! We might have to hire her full time!"

I smiled a bit, but kept to my work sorting the fish. I didn't really deserve the compliment. With as well as the family were doing, I was having some anxiety as I realized we'd be stopping at Patch soon. All I'd wanted over the past week was to get to Patch to see Yang, but now with it so close… What would I even say to her? What could I say to her? Would she be happy to see me? Would she hate me? Would she blame me for her arm?

I was so wrapped in my thoughts and sorting the fish that I hadn't noticed how quiet the sea had gotten. Pearl was right. By the time one could even hear the attack coming, it was already too late.

"GRIMM!" Cousteau had run from the side of the Valiant, desperate to get away from the edge of the boat. Unfortunately, the Sea Feilong was far too large for the little distance he'd managed to run to matter. Its massive head came down and snapped up the boy with the bull horns before he could make it a few steps from his place at the bow.

"No." Not on my watch.

Gambol Shroud in hand, I started running towards the bow. I threw my weapon as hard as I could, following it up with a flick of my wrist that pulled its trigger, launching the weapon even harder. The blade buried itself in slick, tar flesh just beneath the armored plate on its face, giving me a hold to pull myself onto the creature. My body had moved so fast I hadn't even had a chance to check if Cousteau was okay. Thankfully, the creature had only managed to grab the boy's calf in its maw. Its teeth had pierced through tendon and flesh, but he'd live! If only I could free him…

I looked back over my shoulder to see that Pearl hadn't moved a muscle. She'd frozen the moment she'd seen the creature. It wasn't hard to see why. Just below Gambol Shroud was a bright yellow spear. Rusted slightly from years in the briney ocean, but still mostly intact. A Huntress's weapon, worn like a trophy by this homicidal sea serpent.

I'd be on my own.

I tugged myself onto the creature's back just as it began to swim away from the Valiant. It was fast, and was clearly trying to take its dinner and disappear below the waves where it wouldn't be bothered. Not gonna happen.

"Cousteau, I'm here! DO NOT PANIC!" I pulled myself onto the monster's head, and took the boy's hand, desperate to let him know I was there. If he started to panic he'd drown within seconds the moment the Feilong's head dipped below the waves.

"Please don't let me die." The boy's face was pale white, his eyes were wide and he was trembling as I took his hand, but he had faith in me. I could tell by the way he looked into my eyes. He believed entirely that I could save him.

I wouldn't let him down.

"I'll try and keep its head above water but you HAVE to hold your breath when you can!" With that, I dislodged Gambol Shroud and went to work. Sea Feilong were aquatic Grimm, but they still breathed air. That was the only thing keeping the monster's head above water. It took them a few minutes to fill their lungs with enough air before they could dive, which was all the time I would have to free Cousteau. This one was only about forty feet long- not very large for these sorts of Grimm, but that explained why it'd waited to snatch someone instead of attacking the boat directly. It was missing an arm, its wings were damaged and useless, its whiskers had been cut off, and it was missing part of its lower jaw- an injury that would make its breath attack impossible to direct. All injuries that only a skilled, expert Huntress could've dealt an enemy like this.

Even now, Pearl's mother was looking out for her family.

I fought as hard as I could to slow the Feilong down. I sliced at its maw, trying to get it to spit out its prey. It shot out one of its eyes. I even jumped on its snout and buried my blade in a gap in its armor plating, but the monster was determined to swim away as fast as it could. It knew that it only needed to dive before I wouldn't be able to attack it any longer. Every second I wasted was a second it was filling its lungs with the precious air it needed to disappear beneath the surface. I needed more! If only Yang were here…

"GIVE ME MY BROTHER BACK YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I couldn't afford to be distracted, but I only needed a quick glance to see that Pearl had jumped off the Valiant and had followed me and the Feilong.

She had her mother's Semblance!

"SINCE WHEN COULD YOU DO THAT," Cousteau shouted, desperately pounding on the tooth that'd speared his leg in an attempt to free himself.

"SINCE THIRTY SECONDS AGO! HOLD ON!" She looked unsteady on her feet, and clearly wasn't used to using her Semblance, but she'd been desperate to help her brother. I'd heard about people unlocking their Semblances in the heat of battle, but I'd never actually seen it happen before. I watched as she slammed the head of her spear down onto the surface of the water and used the impact to vault herself about a dozen feet in the air. I cocked my head as I watched a razor thin sheet of water follow her ascent. She looked just as surprised as I was, but didn't hesitate for a moment before firing it at the Grimm.

Sea Feilong were fast Grimm. The moment the monster's good eye noticed the attack, it moved to evade. Thankfully, it wasn't fast enough without its wings, and the giant sheet of water sliced through its remaining arm, causing it to cry out in pain.

Pearl and I poured on the attacks. We had to save Coustaeu. I couldn't let someone die under my watch. I sliced down its throat while she poked out its other eye. I slid down its body and worked to tear through its fins while Pearl used her Semblance to create a whirlpool in front of it and slow it down. Still, it hardly seemed to care. It was running on instinct, and instinct told it the threat was coming from the Valiant, and to get as far away from the boat as it could before it could dive again. I could see the bone plates in its chest expand as it took more and more air into its lungs. We didn't have much time left.

We needed to hit it with something big or it would dive before we'd freed Coustaeu.

"NOT MY KIDS!" A large mechanical bang sounded, and the Feilong roared as a metal harpoon pieced its abdomen. Cenote hadn't given up either, and with the harpoon in the monster's body he and the Valiant were along for the ride. I landed on the boat, needing just a moment to catch my breath before rejoining the fight. Staying airborne was hard work.

"What can I do to help," Cenote asked, sweat dripping from his brow as he fought the waves and the Feilong, trying his best to keep the harpoon line taut and avoid snapping the line.

"Prevent it from diving. We've got maybe a minute left before it can start going under. I can amputate Coustaeu's leg if it comes to it, but…"

"Save my son, Blake. Save my kids. Please."

He didn't have to tell me twice.

I leapt from the Valiant back into the fight, using my weight to dig Gambol Shroud's blade deeper into the monster's hide. It tried to swat at me with its tail, but the weight of the boat it was tugging made it sluggish. I made my way up its body to Pearl who'd found a spot by its shoulder to focus on her whirlpool. I could tell it was taking every ounce of concentration she had, but the current was jostling the Grimm enough to keep it off balance. I decided to make my way further up its body-

"BLAKE!"

I paused for just a moment to catch Pearl's eye. She'd clearly noticed something that I hadn't. Something that she couldn't get to on her own.

"THE SPEAR! SECOND TRIGGER!"

I nodded and jumped off the Feilong before tossing Gambol Shroud up towards the snout of the Grimm. Using my momentum I was able to swing myself up to the Feilong's mouth. The spear was jammed right beneath a bone plate at the hinge of its jaw. I didn't know what would happen, or why it was important, but I trusted Pearl. I grabbed onto the spear and found the trigger.

The head of the spear opened up like a propeller, slicing through sinew and bone. It completely severed the connection on the left side of the jaw, leaving its mouth hanging open on that side. Not enough to free Coustaeu on its right side, but certainly enough to weaken its bite and make it even less of a threat to us.

Perfect.

I'd started to fall the moment the spear had transformed and sliced itself free of the Grimm's maw. I threw Gambol Shroud up towards the Feilong's face again, desperate for some altitude. Unfortunately the monster had decided it was time to get serious. It aimed a tail swipe at me even with its blinded eyes. I managed to avoid it by bouncing off one of my Shadows, but now I was too far from the Grimm to latch onto its face, and I was falling fast. And I didn't really do well in the water.

I braced myself for the icy cold ocean, but opened my eyes as I felt Gambol Shroud connect with- Pearl? She'd caught my weapon, letting it wrap around her own spear. She threw all of her weight back, launching me back up into the air for a second attempt at the Feilong's face. The Grimm responded by thrashing around, sending Pearl flying over its shoulder and into the ocean behind itself.

"PEARL!" Cenote shouted as his daughter hit the ocean. She'd skipped like a rock once or twice before disappearing below the water's surface. I had to make a choice. Either try to save her and risk losing Cousteau, or leave her and hope she surfaced on her own.

I had to save Coustaeu.

I sliced at the Feilong's jaw, desperate to free its prisoner. Just another couple of swipes and I'd surely hack through its jaw? I didn't get the chance to know. The monster reared back and flicked its head forward, slipping Gambol Shroud's hold on the beast and launching me over its shoulder and back towards the Valiant. Thankfully, the flick had dislodged Coustaeu as well, sending him flying through the air in the same direction. I used another Shadow to alter my path, wrapping my arms tightly around him. I didn't know how to swim, but Coustaeu certainly wouldn't be able to, considering his injury. He'd need help to keep his head above water. I tucked his head into my chest, ready to feel the icy cold ocean splash against my back as I plunged beneath the waves. Instead, I bounced on what felt like a trampoline, feeling the whiplash, but otherwise mostly unharmed.

Pearl had skated across the surface of the ocean to catch me in her weird surface tension field. I opened my eyes to see her looking pale and exhausted, but determined.

"I'm gonna kill this piece of shit," Pearl snarled, her fists white and shaking as she gripped her spear so tightly I thought she might snap it.

"Pearl. No. Your brother's losing blood. We need to leave while it's retreating!" I knew that bloodlust. That desperation. It came so easily during a fight like this. Pearl wasn't just fighting to save her brother. She was fighting to kill the Grimm that'd taken her mother from her. But that kind of thinking got better Huntresses than myself killed. This wasn't about killing or revenge. This was about survival! Escaping to fight another day was far more important than-

Pearl grabbed her mother's weapon out of my hand and got ready to charge the Sea Feilong. The monster had its glowing eyes narrowed, snarling angrily at us. We'd stolen its meal. I began to panic. If Pearl took the bait, her surface tension field would fail under us. We'd be plunged into the ocean. Would she even listen to reason? Would she even understand that?

The monster batted its tail, sending a wall of water at us. Baiting Pearl to attack. Whether it thought it could overwhelm Pearl in a one on one, or was expecting her to let us plunge into the ocean where it'd snap us up and dive, I couldn't be sure. All I could be sure of, was that Pearl wasn't taking the bait. She was sweating. Straining. Panting as she fought to keep the three of us above the surface.

Unfortunately, Sea Feilong were pretty smart Grimm. It'd figured that Pearl was the only thing keeping us dry. And while it was grounded, dismembered and blinded, it still had its energy breath attack.

"HOLD ON," I shouted. Hold onto what? I didn't know. We were stuck. No trees, no buildings, nothing to wrap Gambol Shroud around to escape. Pearl was locked in place to keep us afloat, and Coustaeu had nearly passed out from blood loss. There was nothing we could do, and from Pearl's defiant shout, she didn't have a plan either.

My life would end right here…

And I didn't get to apologize to Yang…

"NOT MY KIDS YOU BASTARD!" Cenote shouted. I watched as the man soared through the air, having launched himself from one of the Valiant's trebuchets. He landed right in front of Pearl, his skin practically glowing as he stood defiantly between his family and the monster.

"DAD NO!"

The Feilong roared, firing its energy beam at us all. But something was off! With its mouth nearly hanging open, it couldn't direct most of its attack at us. Most of the beam came out of its mouth as an explosion, blasting its jaw clean off its body. I watched as its tarry flesh bubbled and sizzled and faded away to nothingness before it'd even hit the water. But I had less than a second to even focus on that, before the attack slammed into Cenote. I thought surely the attack would vaporize him on the spot, but instead his glowing skin seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Too bright to even look at.

Was this his Semblance?

"DAD! THROW ME!"

Cenote didn't give it a second thought. He grabbed his daughter and tossed her as hard as he could at the monster. As the surface tension beneath us broke and we fell beneath the waves, I could see Pearl's double spear attack punch clean through the monster's skull. She continued to sail another hundred feet through the air, hardly slowed down by the Feilong's resistance, and the great monster roared one final time before falling to the waves. It'd dissolved before it'd even hit the water.

Cenote took less than a minute to find me. I'd been frantically kicking, desperate to try to keep both mine and Coustaeu's head above the water. I felt the man grab us both and lead us towards the Valiant. Once we'd reached it, he made sure I was holding onto the edge of the boat firmly while also holding Coustaeu even tighter. He climbed up the side of the boat as quickly as anyone could've, and tossed down the life preserver. I loaded Coustaeu onto it and let him pull his son up while I treaded water and spat out salty brine. It seemed to take forever for the preserver to come back down, but I was gratefully back on the Valiant within a minute.

The moment I hit the deck, I doubled over, emptying my stomach of the seawater I'd swallowed. By the time I'd finished barfing, Cenote had aimed the boat towards Pearl's landing path and had wrapped up Coustaeu's leg to stop the bleeding.

"That… was awesome," the boy slurred, barely conscious as his father worked on his leg.

"Your sister, Coustaeu. Which way? I can't see her," the man said sternly, desperately looking over both sides of the boat to find his daughter.

"Oh, she's fine, dad… talkin' to herself affew hundred feet port," he mumbled, pointing east. Cenote quickly aimed the Valiant towards his son's direction. It only took another two minutes to find her.

She was floating on the surface, face up. She was clutching tightly to the snapped remains of her old spear, as well as her mother's rusted weapon. She was covered in blood and Grimm tar, but she was fine.

"Pearl! Pearl are you okay," Cenote shouted, slowing down the boat as much as he could before tossing a life preserver off the side. Pearl watched it descend and only reached out for it once it'd hit the surface a few feet from her. Cenote was quick to pull her up, and wrapped his arms around her the second she'd hit the deck.

"Pearl…," Cenote mumbled. It was only when he held his daughter in his arms, with his son safely on board the boat did he finally start to break down. "I thought I'd lost you two."

"Oh… dad… come on," Pearl grumbled, wrapping her arms around Cenote. "Gonna take more than that to take me down."

"Dickhead? You still breathing or am I finally an only child again?"

"Still 'ere. But if'I don' get some painkillers'n me right now m'gonna throw m'self overboard," he responded.

"The closest dock is Patch. There'll be medical supplies there," Cenote said, quickly getting back behind the wheel.

"Blake? You okay," Pearl asked, finally turning her attention to me. I hadn't exactly been upset that they hadn't considered me yet. It was a tense moment for everyone.

"I'm fine," I nodded. I hadn't gotten up from my spot on the floor, but I wasn't exactly in a hurry to get up yet. We were all okay. That's what mattered. I kept quiet as Pearl grabbed the first aid kit Cenote had left beside his son and tended to her brother's wounds.

"So much fer bad luck, huh," Coustaeu chuckled, shooting me a thumbs up. Pearl rolled her eyes and gently flicked his ear before moving to speak to Cenote. I watched them whisper for a few moments before they quickly hugged each other. A quiet "thanks, Dad" barely made its way on the wind to my ears.

I had to get to Patch.

Nothing happened that night. We cuddled. I watched Melanie and Miltia make out for a bit while we shared the schnapps.

That's it.

I got up super early to make breakfast for the first time since…

Dad was up about a half hour after me. He froze as he stepped into the kitchen, and I didn't even look back at him as I grunted a good morning and kept cooking. He didn't say a word, and instead sat down at the table without even offering to help. That was perfect, I didn't want help. I needed to show him that I could do this on my own.

"I'm done with the pancakes, bacon and sausage. Toast's buttered and I made extra lemonade. Ruby's cookies are baking, they'll be done in an hour. Omelettes'll be done in ten, but if there're eggshells in them just toss them," I explained. Cracking eggs with only one hand wasn't exactly easy.

He grunted, but didn't say a word. We were quiet for another five minutes while I worked. The silence felt oppressive, but I tried my best to not give in first. I knew what he was doing. Still, I only lasted another minute before I cracked.

"I can hear you being quiet, dad," I mumbled, throwing a look over my shoulder at him.

"I've got a lot on my mind," he replied, his arms crossed while he watched my cook. It was so obvious I got my obnoxiousness from him. I fully expected him to keep me waiting until I asked an actual question, but he spoke again almost immediately.

"First thing's first… proud of you." My heart melted at that. I… I wasn't in the right frame of mind to take that kind of praise. I pretended not to hear him and kept my eyes on the eggs, choking back some tears.

"I'm serious, Yang… I'm… I'm so proud of you. Not just for the breakfast… For everything-"

"Dad, I can't hear that right now," I mumbled, my voice wavering as I practically begged him to stop. How could he possibly say that after I'd been such a jerk to him a few months ago? I felt so guilty! Not just because of what'd happened to me but because of how I'd acted for years-

"I'm sorry I haven't said it enough… I… wish I'd said it more when it mattered-"

"It matters now, Dad… It matters now," I mumbled, wiping some tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.

"You know you two mean the world to me," he chuckled that same, awkward, sheepish chuckle I'd heard a dozen times before. I'd known him for seventeen years, and I could already tell how hard he was being on himself. "I… I've been a shit dad-"

"Shut UP," I shouted, tossing down… I don't even remember what I'd had in my hand. I was so angry. Angry at how hard he was being on himself. Angry at how angry I'd been with him when I was younger. Angry at mom and Raven and Ruby. Angry at Blake too!

"Dad…" I finally turned around, my eyes red with emotion. "Dad, I'm so fucking sorry… I… I was such an asshole," I begged for him to understand. My entire life, I'd had some resentment for him. Some anger that always itched at the back of my mind even though I'd never voiced it. All I'd ever thought about was how unfair it was for me to have lost mom just for him to shut down. "I never even thought about how hard losing mom-"

"Your turn, Xiao Long," dad snapped back, standing up from his chair and slamming his hands on the table. It wasn't often he shouted, but he was a big, loud guy. "I had no right to force you to grow up so fast. I had no right to force your sister's care on you! I am the adult. I am your father. I failed you. I failed Ruby. I failed Raven and Summer… I failed myself-"

"How fucking DARE you," I shouted back. I was so angry I threw an egg at him that hit him square in the chest. "I had a highschool breakup and could barely function for MONTHS! You lost two wives in five years! THE MOTHER TO YOUR CHILDREN!"

"And NONE of that was YOUR fault, Yang! You two were CHILDREN! I'm the man of the house-"

"Oh, shut the FUCK up, if you did anything right raising me and Ruby on your own, you raised us to not put stock in that machismo bullshit! You were HURTING! You didn't HAVE the support I do-"

"Oh, and is that supposed to make me feel better? I'm supposed to forgive myself just because I was on my own?"

"No! You're supposed to stop hating yourself because… because…" The answer was so obvious. I could see mom's silver eyes looking down on me like it was yesterday. I could smell her shampoo. I could hear her voice. I knew exactly what she'd say. "It's not what mom would've wanted."

"..."

"..."

About a minute passed as we glared at each other. Both daring each other to break first. Dad won again. The tears started coming from my eyes like someone had turned on the tap. I just couldn't stop crying. Dad was at my side just as my legs buckled and helped me down to the floor. He wrapped his arms around me so tight. I didn't realize how long I'd been waiting to feel those arms around me again. To feel my daddy hug me. To tell me everything was gonna be okay… I felt like a little kid…

"Summer had such a short time raising you, but you truly are her daughter," he whispered, gently running his fingers through my tangled hair. I cried into his shoulder for what felt like hours.

"Whazz all the yellin'- oh?" Ruby froze as she walked in on us in the kitchen, a bit of panic in her eyes. "Is everything okay? I can help-"

Dad and I both reached an arm out, making room for her to join the hug. Ruby was crying with us in less than a minute.

We really were a weird fucking family.

I don't think dad let us go until Zwei had started trying to lick the egg I'd thrown off of us. We wiped our tears, and I got back to the stove to finish cooking. I think crying's healthy. I felt a lot lighter.

Ruby set the table using her Semblance, and dad got Zwei his food before we sat down to eat our own breakfast. Before I'd had the first forkful in my mouth, I decided to be upfront with him.

"Dad… I've gotta go to Vale… With the Malachites. It's… important. Like, life or death important," I explained. I wasn't sure if he'd approve, but I knew he'd understand.

"... I don't mean to second-guess you, but are you sure you're ready to start getting back out there?" His eyes didn't even drift to my arm. That's not what he was worried about. Not my ability. He knew I could physically do it. He was worried if it'd be too much for me emotionally.

"Yes. Yeah, dad. I… I can't do much, but I can do this," I explained, taking a sip of my lemonade. I figured it might be better to just not tell him exactly what it was I was doing. He might try to talk me out of it.

"Does it have to be with the Malachite twins," he asked with a heavy sigh.

"Dad-"

"Look, I understand why you're always hanging around those girls. I get the twin thing-"

"Why must I be tortured? Why must my life be a living nightmare," Ruby whined, forcing her face into Zwei's fur to stop herself from hearing what my dad was saying.

"I'm just saying. Two underworld bodyguard assassins might be a bit of a handful-"

"Wow dad? A HAND joke?!"

"That's not what I meant!"

I couldn't even hold in the laugh. Big, loud, strong. Just like my dad. He and Ruby were laughing too, all while Zwei cocked his head at us like we were a bunch of crazy people.

"I… I promise I'll be careful with them. I… I like them, dad. But not like that. I… I need their help. To feel normal again. They… treat me the way I need right now. You get it?"

"I get it," he sighed, cutting up a pancake and shoving it into his face. "Just let them know if I don't hear from you on a consistent basis that I know where Junior's bar is, and if they thought my daughter leveled the place they won't like my arrival."

"Heard, Taiyang," Melanie said, shooting an obnoxious salute at my dad as she walked into the kitchen.

"We understand, Mr. Xiao Long. The less pieces Yang is in, the better," Miltia said quickly, doing her best to try to offset her sister's crudeness.

"Oh, shit! Omelettes and sausage? Normally we've at least gotta blow a guy for some shitty toast-"

"Did I do something in a past life to deserve this," Ruby asked, covering her ears with her hands in a desperate attempt to block out what she was hearing.

Melanie and Miltia sat at the table, Melanie closest to dad while she tried to sell him on some part-time work. Miltia closest to me and rested a gentle hand on my thigh while she ate. I could tell I was blushing a bit at the touch.

Yeah, I didn't like the Malachites like that. But… I guess there was something about twins…