Episode:
21: The Great Monsoon, Part 3

Adam struggles to settle in with the new status quo, with a war going on up above whilst he hides down below like a rat.

There was a noticeable absence of reprieve in the day, and Adam did not expect it to change. It could have been sometime before five am, but the time of day was nearly indeterminable underneath the glass dome. Regardless, Argynos insisted on bringing him to the Royal Residential Children's Home as soon as possible, instead of letting him go back to the room that was now his. He pointed out that the suddenness of his new employment was such short notice that they needed to meet with the head care-worker to clear things up.

Adam limped his way down the streets of Apophis with Argynos by his side. Argynos had now been designated his guardian, but Adam preferred the term "handler".

Whatever the case may be, Argynos was charged with keeping an eye on him, although how he found the time, despite being Head Witchdoctor, eluded him entirely.

Once they had crossed the road, Adam made a loud groan.

'I hate kids,' he grumbled. 'Especially the snot-nosed kind. Whose idea was it for me to work with children?'

Argynos sighed. 'Don't complain. It could have been worse.'

'I'm no good with kids! I barely interacted with kids my age, growing up! Why would they think I'd be good with kids?'

'We'll just have to find out. Why are you so determined to get out of this? You know you don't have a choice, right?'

'Yes, I do,' he admitted, biting his lip. 'I just…if I mess this up, I could end up thrown out. Of an airlock. Into deep sea waters.'

'That is not going to happen, Adam.'

'You don't know that!'

'I do, actually,' replied Argynos, slightly irritably. 'You heard what they said earlier. No other community service pathways could fit you. Given your condition, this is the only one that's suitable for you.'

Adam let an eye wander to his still-missing right arm. He hummed his dulcet tones sadly, only pausing when Argynos put a hand on his shoulder.

'Come on,' he beckoned. 'The children's home is not far from here.'

The Old Quarter of Apophis was an eastern region of the Runic District, the same district containing the Royal Hospital and the Prime Court. It was stark in contrast to the cyberpunk, high-tech design of most of Apophis. Architecture in this region was reminiscent of Earth Edwardian in its design, with stained glass windows and painted roof tiles. Though less ornate than what you might find in Victorian homes on Earth, the lofty ceilings and lighter tones made for a pleasant arrangement down the lengthy street pavements. Their steep-pitched roofs and long stone chimneys matched the cobblestone streets and stony benches.

Indeed, the Royal Residential Children's Home was no different in its Edwardian design. The windows were wide and polished, the walls ornate but somehow subdued, and black slanted roofs reflecting the glint of the yellow streetlights.

Argynos reached forward and knocked on the door. A few tense seconds passed, before somebody answered the door. Curiously, it was a Mewman, a female with a nametag identifying her as Sylvia. Adam blinked in surprise. Another Mewman in Apophis? How likely was that?

'Hello,' said Argynos, 'I'm the royal asylum guardian for Adam Butterfly. Adam has been sentenced here for employment by King Head Ophis.'

'I think you'd better speak to my boss.'

She moved aside to let them in. Argynos nodded and stepped in, with Adam hobbling behind him. Getting a good look at the place, Adam couldn't stop himself from humming in content. The floor of the main foyer was made of stone tiles, set in a chequered pattern of black and white. The walls were half wood, half stone, looking relatively ornate for the Old Quarter.

The foyer was very square-shaped. To Adam's left as he walked in, in the back corner, was a set of stairs leading up into the house. A cloakroom was between him and the flight of stairs. In the far-left wall, there was a sliding door, which was slightly ajar. He caught sight of another room with a couch in the middle, presumably the living room. Straight ahead, at the far end of the room, there was a set of double doors, and behind it was a transparent conservatory. Beyond that was a garden.

Finally, to Adam's right, there was a long row of windows obscured by blinds, leading to a wooden door with a sign that read, "HEAD CARE-WORKER'S OFFICE". If Adam had half a brain, which he did, he would assume that was where they would find Sylvia's boss.

Indeed, Sylvia brought them to the door and politely knocked on it. A moment later, a Lacetus did answer.

'Ah! You must be Adam Butterfly. And his handler. Come in, come in! We have much to discuss. Thank you, Sylvia. I shall handle this now.'

The pair followed the man inside, but Adam didn't see a nametag to go off of. He was a tall man, several shades darker than Adam's Mewman complexion, but he could easily pass as human if he hid the gills. Not that he should. His gait was obviously professional, but judging by the slowness of it, there was probably something weighing it down. His skin sagged slightly, but barely noticeably, so Adam assumed it wasn't due to age. The whitening hair, which also didn't seem to match that agenda, seemed to correspond with his silent assertion.

'Take a seat.'

Adam wasn't sure to whom he was referring to, but Argynos didn't move a muscle. He reluctantly took the seat and examined his surroundings. The man's office was long and rectangular, slightly cluttered, but by the looks of it, recently albeit briefly cleaned. The desk was ordered into neat arrangements, aside from the odd slightly crumpled piece of paper or a certain book seeming out of its place.

A sign on the desk bore the man's name: Michael. At least Adam now had a name to work with.

'I'll admit, when I first received that message from the King Head, I thought it was…unorthodox,' admitted Michael, as he settled into his desk chair. 'Once I read the full context, though, well…your situation seemed somehow more unorthodox.' He let out a breath of intrigue. 'I've heard a few stories every now and again about the Royal Magic Ambassador, but not much. Stories take time to spread down here. How did you get here?'

Adam wasn't sure if he should give a straight answer. He merely nodded sadly to his missing right arm and uttered, 'It's been…difficult times.'

'Yes,' Michael replied, a strange element of understanding in his voice. 'If you ever need any help, you just ask. I'm happy to do what I can.'

'Thank you,' said Adam, unsure what else to say. Michael nodded.

'It seems I must outline the terms of your employment.' Adam sat up in his chair in anticipation, as Argynos cleared his throat behind him. 'Unpaid, I'm afraid. Community work usually is, and in return your accommodation is all sorted out for you.'

Adam hummed without resistance. He had not expected any kind of payment, since he was supposed to be the one paying.

'Now, Adam. I hope you listen to me very carefully here.' Adam nodded vigorously. 'We consider taking care of our children to be of the utmost importance. I want to make sure the kids here can grow up in a safe and comfortable environment. I cannot risk anything – or anyone – getting in the way of that. Do you understand?'

'I understand, Michael,' he replied. 'Loud and clear.'

'Good,' said Michael. 'Then I trust you will take no offence to the fact that you will need to be supervised in the first week to ensure you are safe around the children.'

'Of course.'

'I'm glad to hear it. Now, as for special –'

Michael cut himself off for some reason. Adam didn't realise why at first, until he heard a voice behind him.

'Mike?'

Adam turned around and saw what was going on. A little Mewman girl – somehow the second Mewman he had seen today – was standing in the doorway of the office. She had strawberry blonde hair and clad in footie pyjamas. Her wide emerald eyes were timid and scared. She couldn't have been older than eight. She twisted her foot on the spot, her little hand still clutching the office door.

Michael rose from his seat and walked over to her. He kneeled gently in front of her and smiled.

'Now, now, Lily, what do we do when we want to go into the office?'

Lily pouted sheepishly. 'We knock. I know…I'm sorry. I was scared. I…I had another nightmare.'

Michael placed gentle hands on her shoulders. 'It's okay, sweetie. We all have nightmares sometimes.'

Lily bit her lip.

'Could you…tuck me in? Please?'

Michael smiled brightly. 'Of course, I will,' he assured. He stood back up and offered her his hand. As she took it, he spared a look to Adam and Argynos. 'If you'll excuse me, I shan't be a moment.'

With that, Michael left the office, leaving the two of them to their own devices for a short while. Adam hummed in remark, glancing about the office.

'Well…I've seen far worse living conditions than this place. At least the children here are comfortable.' He looked up at Argynos in curiosity. 'What exactly is my living situation?'

'You're quite fortunate to keep your room at the Royal Hospital,' he said, folding his arms. 'The room you woke up in is, for the time being, yours. This is all very uncertain at the moment, given your sentence is indefinite. Your necessities are being arranged, at least until your condition improves. I suspect you will have to pay bills once you get a job and start earning enough.'

'I guess you've got my whole future arranged for me,' grumbled Adam. 'You won't have to worry about any of that. I'll be out of this place soon enough.'

'I really doubt that. Your condition showed little signs of improvement. How's the leg?'

Adam shrugged off the sarcastic comment. 'There's a war going on up there, Argynos. I can't stay down here, playing caretaker. I might not be much good without my magic, but I have to do something. I can't just let everyone think I'm dead!'

'I am sorry, Adam. In the sincerest of meanings. It was a great risk bringing you to Apophis in the first place. Believe me when I say that I have done all that I can to help you.'

Adam sighed reproachfully. 'Sorry. I'm not trying to cause you trouble, it's just…it's my fault I'm here. Everything. It's all my fault, I…because of me, my friends are practically doomed. Just being here feels like a betrayal.'

He glared darkly at his feet.

'I should be dead,' he lamented. 'It's a fitting punishment.'

'You cannot possibly believe such nonsense,' Argynos argued. 'Your friends and family might have something to say about you being dead.'

'They already think I'm dead!' he snapped. 'What difference would it make if I really were?'

'And you've been so adamant to make sure they do know you're still alive. Why let them continue to think that?'

'They're better off without me.' He wiped away tears. 'I wasn't always there when they needed me, and I didn't listen to them when I should have. Now…I've lost everything, Argynos. For the longest time, I thought my only purpose in life was revenge. I couldn't even do that right. I…I let it control me. Blind me. Until it got me killed.'

Argynos walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

'Then find a new purpose,' he said. 'Because, as fate had it, you survived. Maybe that was for a reason. If you can't help your friends, then you have to consider that they can't be helped. Right now, Apophis is all you have. You'll be safe here.'

'For now.'

A long moment of silence fell between them. Adam periodically tapped his left foot on the ground, just to check if the pain was still there. Of course, it still was, but he kept checking anyway. His fingers flexed around the handle of his walking stick, experimenting with the brief flare of strain on his digits whenever he peeled his skin off the leather grip.

The door opened behind them. Michael stepped back inside, a bashful smile on his face.

'So sorry for the delay!' he apologised, rushing back to his seat.

'No, it's fine,' Adam dismissed, waving a hand graciously. Michael sat down at his seat and examined his desk.

'Now…where was I?' Neither Adam nor Argynos could recall, offering uncertain shrugs and abashed apologies. It was only when Michael fished out a specific piece of paper, did he realise where he was. 'Oh! Right.' He reached for the sheet of paper and handed it over to Adam. 'Here is a list of all the children being accommodated here. Along with all their special needs. I expect you to know that list back-to-front for your first day tomorrow.'

Adam took the sheet, examining the paper in detail. As he looked down the list, he hummed to himself. 'There's a lot to remember here. A lot of a children on this list.'

'Yes,' said Michael, without batting an eye, 'and every single one of them is important.'

Adam nodded, taking his words to heart. He placed the piece of paper firmly into his pocket. 'I'll do my best to memorise it.'

'Good,' he replied, raising from his seat. 'You start tomorrow. 7am sharp. It's a weekend, so no school – expect them to get up around 10am. On schooldays, they have to be out of the house by 8:30am to get to school by 9am. Understood?'

Adam nodded, giving a curt, 'Understood.'

'Then our work here today is done.'

Michael walked over to the office door and opened it. He left it open for them, as Adam painfully got out of his chair and turned around. Argynos nodded and followed Adam and Michael out of the room. As Michael led them to the entrance, and opened the door for him, he beamed at them.

'I'm looking forward to see your progress,' he said, rolling on the balls of his feet. 'I shall see you tomorrow.'

Argynos and Adam offered their polite goodbyes, as they stepped out onto the Old Quarter. Adam looked around the street and took a deep breath of the salty, watery air.

'So…what do we do now?'

'I'll showing you back to the hospital,' replied Argynos. 'That will be where I leave you.'

'Oh, finally. Some time to myself,' Adam remarked happily. 'I could really use a proper nap, you know.'

'I will be checking in on you periodically, this week. But I am busy as the Head Witchdoctor, so don't expect constant surveillance. Try not to cause too much trouble.'

'I'll do my best.'

Argynos's eyes narrowed. 'You better. That favour you curried with the Primajora due to the War Games will only go so far.'

'Well…like I said, I'm not exactly in a hurry to get acquainted around here,' he admitted, somewhat bashfully. 'This place isn't my home. Not really.'

Surprisingly, Argynos did not roll his eyes or make some disapproving remark. He smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sure you'll find a home with us eventually.'

From moment to moment, death to death, the seductive pull of weakness resonated through Adam's bones.

Cold purple eyes gazed into his bloodshot grey ones, like staring into the cold expanse of space itself. Her mouth moved, bloodied whispers escaping her lips, seeping into his ears, and seizing him by the heart. Her words squeezed the life out of his body, as his limbs turned black, and his skin and muscle disintegrated. A whisper was all it took to end him.

Break the bonds, tear the fabric, cleave the stones, stop the magic.

He was powerless atop that cliff. Star's miserable sobbing and Marco's desperate banging permeated his mind. Star's crying did not cease, as Adam heard truthful derisions spill out of her quivering lips.

You left us, Adam. You let us suffer for you. Die for you. It's your fault.

Because it was. His own weakness had created his own personal hell, and now he had dragged everybody he cared about down with him. If he had listened to all that he had learned, had taken account more than just himself, had accepted an existence beyond the narrow-minded path of revenge, he could have spared his friends the terrible grief and pain he had put them through.

Dark Star stood before him, hands closing around his throat. His oxygen ran out, and a series of sputters and coughs agitated his lungs. He tried not to panic, but it was a fruitless effort. His throat was shut on him. The air could not seep through, and Adam could feel every single one of his cells rotting black and dying, one by one.

His heartbeat accelerated, beating in his chest faster and faster until it threatened to burst from his chest.

Break the bonds tear the fabric cleave the stones stop the magic break the bonds tear the fabric cleave the stones stop the magic break the bonds tear the fabric cleave the stones stop the magic…

Dark Star disappeared, Adam thought, but he still couldn't breathe. The fingers clamped around his throat were gone, yet an invisible force sealed his throat like a vice. He was floating now, in black nothingness, the cliff above Lake Majoris still beneath his feet.

Filthy commoner.

Adam saw Star again, but something was different this time. Her eyes were pitch black. The glint that had once been behind them was gone entirely; her beautiful blue orbs replaced by lifeless coal.

How could you do this to us, Adam? You threw away your worthless life for nothing. You let me die for nothing.

Breakthebondstearthefabriccleavethestonesstopthemagicbreakthebondstearthefabriccleavethestonesstopthemagicbreakthebondstearthefabriccleavethestonesstopthemagicbreakthebondstearthefabriccleavethestonesstopthemagic…

Star's lifeless black eyes began to leak darkness. Her jaw dropped open, limp, and dislocated, and a torrent of crimson liquid spilled out. It dripped from her mouth and pooled onto the floor.

Adam shot up from his bed with a loud gasp. His chest was pounding at Mach speed, leaving his breath hardly able to catch up. He was in a pool of his own sweat, collected in his waterbed. He shut his eyes for a moment, taking deeper and deeper breaths until his heartrate finally slowed down.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Adam slid off the bed and hesitantly placed his weight on his feet. A bolt of pain shot though his leg and hip. He grimaced through the pain as it passed. He instinctively jerked his right shoulder forward to scratch the back of his neck, before painfully remembering that he had to use his left arm.

Adam let out an exasperated sigh and steadily lifted himself onto his feet. He was immediately forced to put his weight onto his leg, although it gave him a profound sense of imbalance. He tried to use his remaining arm as a counterweight, but it still left him stumbling.

He limped over to the sink. There was a loud thud as his hands slammed against the rim of the ceramic sink. He reached for the tap and twisted it vigorously, letting the water spurt out into the basin.

Adam reached forward and splashed water in his face. Cold water dribbled down his face and snapped him to attention. He leaned over the white ceramic basin and let out a series of sputtery wet coughs.

Something metallic spat out of his mouth. A blob of black liquid stuck to the side of the sink. Adam stared at himself in the mirror. A smear of black liquid tricked out of his lips and nose. Reluctantly, Adam reached for his Antioctarine pills and shoved two into his mouth. He had no idea how long the drugs would take to have an effect, but he really hoped he wouldn't keep spitting out dead magic gunk.

He swallowed the two pills down dry. They stuck treacherously to the inside of his throat, but eventually they slipped down into his oesophagus.

As he splashed more cold water onto his face, he stared at himself in the mirror and wondered how he got here. Being on the run on Negative Mewni felt better than this. At least he had a purpose back then. He was the Royal Magic Ambassador at one point; he used to be somebody. Not that he ever liked to admit it, but he enjoyed being important. Being somebody that people listened to.

But here? Here, I'm just a nameless stooge. A nobody.

Adam grumbled in dissatisfaction as he examined his increasingly scruffy, stubby beard growing on his neck. He hated looking so dirty. A month in a coma would do that to you.

Fortunately, as it happens, he had been provided with a razor and shaving cream. He certainly needed it.

Shakily, Adam began to apply the cream to his face. At least his eyesight hadn't been badly affected, but he hated how uncoordinated his left hand was. He reached for the razor and slowly began to drag it down the side of his face. His left arm was shaky, wavering constantly. His joints felt stiff and worn, forcing him to put his elbow on the sink to steady his arm.

It didn't work. His arm continued to shake, and he couldn't even get to his chin before his hand finally slipped. The razor sliced through the skin across his jaw, and bright red blood seeped out.

Shit.

Adam took hold of a paper towel and tried to rip it off. With one arm, a weak arm no less, it wasn't so easy. He ended up tearing into it with his teeth and smacking chunks of toilet paper over his brazen cuts.

The once pearly white sink was stained crimson with blood. Adam groaned. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin was pallid, he had dark grey bags under his eyes, and his half-shaven neck was scarred and bloody. What a waste of biomass.

How did it come to this? Nothing more to say. Nothing more to be. What do I even live for now?

'Then find a new purpose.'

'You don't need magic to be special.'

Adam groaned internally at the memory. Easy for you to say, Beru. You always knew what to do. You only died because of me. You WERE special. And deep down, I wasn't.

A glance over to the clock revealed it was 4:30am. Adam sighed and limped his way back to his bed. There was a long day ahead.

Indeed, as Adam stood on the doorstep of the Royal Residential Children's Home at precisely 7am, he understood that he had work to do. He rolled on his good leg for a moment, antsy at the thought of stepping inside. What was he doing here, exactly? Playing caretaker for a bunch of snot-nosed children? There was a war going on up there! And he was stuck down here.

Adam shook away the thought, no matter how true it was. He could cry about his desperation to get back home in his downtime, but it wouldn't change anything. This was all he had now. Better get on with his own pitiful existence.

Tentative, Adam reached forward and knocked on the door. A moment later, someone answered. Not Sylvia or Michael, instead it was another Lacetus, a male one, with tanned orange skin. A nametag on his shirt collar revealed his name was Jason, and he looked Adam up and down with a judgemental eye.

'You must be the new guy,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Adam, right?'

Adam nodded nervously. 'Yeah. That's…that's me.'

'Well don't just stand there. Come inside. You've a got a job to do.'

'Oh, right, of course!' he replied, scratching his scalp abashedly. He hurried his way into the building with the fervour of a wounded animal. When he walked into the main foyer, he was greeted by both Michael and Sylvia, who had appeared to be waiting for him.

'Your punctuality is greatly appreciated, Adam,' said Michael, smiling. Adam shrugged and smiled anxiously.

'Did you have an accident?' Sylvia asked, gesturing towards the bloody plaster on the side of his chin.

'I had a mishap shaving,' he admitted, nodding sheepishly to his missing arm. 'I'm, uh, right-handed.'

Sylvia nodded guiltily. Michael cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded toward Jason and Sylvia.

'Well, if you two are free now, I think you should take Adam through the morning routine,' he decided, earning nods from the two care-workers. 'Good. Because I have some paperwork to fill out about Lily's stepfather.' Without another word, he walked away and disappeared inside his office.

'Just follow us,' said Jason, nodding to the sliding door behind him. It was now open, revealing a living room inside and a dining room and kitchen connected to it on the right. Adam walked into the kitchen, spotting the lengthy dinner table and the sheer number of seats.

'Naturally, everyone gets a properly cooked meal,' Sylvia told him, as she moved over to the kitchen sink. 'It is important that it is tailored to meet their allergies. Children can be fussy, but…as long as they eat what is good for them, we consider our job fulfilled.'

'Of course,' replied Adam, nodding. 'Who does the cooking around here?'

'It's on a rota,' Jason answered, pointing to a poster on the refrigerator. Adam spared it a glance. His name had already been added, designating him as the cook on Tuesdays and Fridays. It was Saturday that day, which meant it was Sylvia's turn to cook, and Jason's turn to wash up. Adam was supposed to lay the table and remove dirty dishes, as well as pack away.

'It'll still be a few more hours before the kids show up,' Sylvia said, as she switched on the gas oven. 'But there's always a chance some of them will show up early. We still have to set up for breakfast.'

'Can you lay the table one-handed?' Jason asked him, looking at his arm dubiously. Adam bit his lip.

'I'll manage.'

Adam made a move to the cutlery. Fortunately, there was a drawer labelled with it. However, as he went over to it, he first noticed a piece of paper on the counter above it. Curious, he took the piece of paper and examined it. It was a table plan, where everybody's assigned seats were. All seemed in place, for a moment, until he spotted something.

'Wait…how come my name is on the seating plan?'

Sylvia made a face. Jason looked at him like he'd grown a third leg. Or somehow gotten his right arm back. He stopped organising the ingredients for a second.

'Well, you'll be eating with us.'

Adam nodded slowly. 'Right…'

'Are you not used to that?' asked Sylvia, briefly glancing at Jason in confusion. Adam merely shrugged.

'Not really.'

Jason snorted. 'Well, what are you used to?'

'Hunting for my own food,' Adam replied. 'You know…keeping track of what season it is, knowing what berries are safe to eat, where they grow. That sorta stuff, y'know?'

Sylvia resisted the urge to laugh at the thought.

'Did you grow up in the wild?' she asked rather humorously. Adam, however, was less than humorous about it. He looked away sombrely.

'Actually, yes,' he admitted, instantly silencing the two. 'I…uh…I lost my parents, when I was very young. I didn't have a real home for a very long time.'

The laughter drained instantly from Sylvia's face. Her complexion became almost as pallid as Adam's, as if the Whispering Spell had struck her, too.

'Oh, I'm…I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean –!'

'It's fine,' he dismissed, as he proceeded to lay out the silverware. Jason raised an eyebrow.

'So, you were adopted?' he asked. Adam responded with a nod. 'So at least you found a home.'

Adam hummed sadly as set down the knives and forks. 'I lost that too. Along with my arm.'

A moment of silence fell between them as they processed this information. They had no impression of Adam besides his supposed position as Royal Magic Ambassador to the Butterfly Kingdom. His younger age had predisposed them to the idea that he was some young, arrogant hotshot who was desperate to prove himself. The truth seemed far more sombre; he seemed like a man with a lifetime of baggage, trapped in an eighteen-year-old's body. Neither of them knew what to expect with him beforehand, really, but they knew even less now.

'Sylvia?'

The voice wasn't any of theirs. It was quiet, reserved, almost scared in tone. It was a voice Adam had heard before. He looked up. It was the little Mewman girl from the previous night, the one who had asked Michael to tuck her in after having a nightmare.

Adam wasn't entirely certain how long the little girl had been standing there in the doorway. Regardless, Sylvia came over to her and beckoned her towards the dinner table.

'Come in, sweetie,' she ushered, beaming at her brightly. She directed her to her seat at the table. 'We'll start frying up your favourite bacon, okay?'

Lily nodded, a small smile adorning her lips as she took her seat opposite Adam. Adam opted politely to take his seat also.

'Hi,' he said shyly. Lily looked up, her bright emerald eyes meeting his retreated grey ones. 'I'm the new care-worker. My name's Adam Butterfly. What's your name?'

In truth, he already knew her name, but he figured Lily might want the dignity of telling him herself.

Lily beamed. 'Butterfly. That's a very pretty name. I like butterflies. It's like a name from a fairy-tale!'

Adam smiled back.

'I am from a fairy-tale,' he joked, making Lily's eyes go wide. Adam jokingly raised a finger to his lips. 'Shush. Don't tell anyone. It's our secret.'

Lily giggled, nodding happily at the thought.

'Sweetie?' Sylvia interjected politely. 'Don't be rude. Adam asked you a question.'

Lily made a cute noise of realisation. 'Oh! Right. My name's Lily. Nice to meet you!'

'Lily? That's a very lovely name,' he said, a gentle smile on his face.

'Thank you!' she exclaimed excitedly, as Jason placed a plate of bacon in front of her. An impossibly bright grin appeared on her face. 'Ooh! Bacon! Thank you so much Mr Jason!'

'How many times, honey, it's just Jason,' replied the man, without a hint of objection in his voice. He seemed perfectly happy to be called by the wrong title, despite his words.

Lily didn't appear to be listening, though. She was just happily munching on her bacon with the speed of a walrus. In fact, Adam wasn't sure how she managed to fit so much food in her mouth at one time, but she seemed undeterred by how full her mouth already was.

'Mmm…Mr Butterfly…?'

'Lily, sweetie, you know we don't speak with food in our mouth,' Sylvia reminded her, as she began frying more bacon. 'And don't chew with your mouth open. We have to be polite at the dinner table.'

'Sorry…' she apologised mutely, as she swallowed down the bacon with one big gulp. 'Mr Butterfly? Can I ask you a question?'

Adam, unsure of what it would be, shrugged. 'Sure. Go ahead.'

'What happened to your arm?'

Sylvia's jaw nearly dropped. Jason, however, was the one to chastise her. 'Lily! Don't be so blunt about something so sensitive! We have tact in this house!'

'No, no, it's okay,' Adam reassured, raising his hand dismissively. 'Between you and me? I lost it in a great battle. I was fighting a terrible enemy, but your great doctors saved my life.'

Lily's wide green eyes twinkled in astonishment.

'Woah…' she uttered. 'Are you, like…a knight in shining armour?'

'I'd like to think so,' he replied. 'But…not a very good one, I suppose. If I lost my arm.'

'Nuh-uh!' cried Lily, inexplicably passionate. 'Only the bravest of knights would go so far to protect people!'

Adam looked down. He muttered, under his breath so Lily could not hear it, 'I wasn't protecting anyone. I was only looking out for myself.'

'Here.' He looked up. Sylvia was standing over him, with a plate of bacon, corn, and sausages. 'Thought you might be hungry.'

'Oh! Thanks,' he replied, graciously taking the plate from her. 'It smells amazing.' He happily deposited a piece of sausage into his mouth with a fork.

'Sylvia makes the best bacon!' exclaimed Lily, bouncing up and down in her seat, causing it to squeak.

Adam hummed happily, as he reached to tear off a part of the bacon to eat it. However, as he reached to put the food in his mouth, he couldn't help but notice how Lily stared at his bacon longingly. He wavered for a moment; the bacon poised in front of his mouth. Ultimately, he set the bacon down and tore it into two pieces and carefully placed the other piece on Lily's plate.

'Here: you can have some.'

Lily lit up instantly the moment the bacon touched her plate. She jumped up in ebullience, a dazzlingly bright smile on her face.

'Thank you, thank you!' she exclaimed, in wonder that the extra piece of bacon was even there.

'Try not to spoil her too much,' Jason warned, as he rubbed clean a glass with a tablecloth. 'We wouldn't want her getting entitled.'

'Well…I don't know about that. I think she's going to turn out just fine.'

He smiled at Lily, and she smiled back.

Sometime later, Sylvia decided it was important that he understand how the laundry worked. He had yet to meet the other kids; none of them had woken up yet besides Lily. It didn't surprise him, really, it was a weekend after all. She took him to the laundry room, carrying a big linen basket full of dirty clothes.

She crouched down and pulled open the washing machine door. As she checked to ensure it was, in fact, empty, she began filling it up with clothes.

'You won't always have to do this,' said Sylvia, as she folded up the clothes. 'After the kids turn fifteen, they are expected to do their own laundry. Any time before that, then it's our responsibility. Now, have you ever done laundry before?'

'No, I haven't.' He realised how privileged that made him sound and stumbled to overcorrect himself. 'Uh, well, I mean…I have washed clothes before but…like, with a river. Using foraged herbs to make lotions.'

Sylvia nearly choked on air and gave him another funny look. It didn't last very long, however, as it looked like she suddenly remembered their earlier conversation and she simply nodded.

'Well, it's very simple,' she told him, picking up a bottle of detergent. 'You put the detergent in with the clothes…just a little bit. Not too much.' Once she was done, she stood up and switched the machine on. There was a dial on front with multiple different settings to choose. 'There's a lot of settings, but generally "Mixed" or "Intensive 60" will do the job. Just give this button a press and…' The machine roared to life. 'There you go. Once the washing machine is done, it goes in the tumble dryer next. Medium heat should be enough.'

Adam stood by the door to the laundry room, leaning against the frame. Sylvia stood up, an awkward moment of silence between them as they waited for the washing machine to complete its cycle.

'So…' he spoke up, pursing his lips. 'How'd a Mewman end up in Apophis? They're not exactly known to let outsiders stay here. I mean, Lily's an orphan so I can understand her, but an adult like you is…unexpected.'

Sylvia raised an eyebrow.

'I could say the same of you. Michael won't say much about why exactly the Primajora made you do this "community service".'

Adam bit his lip nervously. 'I'm…not sure how much I'm at liberty to say about that. I was fighting on the frontlines, and I almost died. Argynos Povarian and his healers saved my life.' He sighed. 'So now, it's up to me to repay the debt.'

She nodded. Her lip trembled slightly in anticipation of her own words.

'I'm here because of the war,' she admitted. 'The Monster-Mewman War. It…destroyed my life above the water. My village was destroyed by the Septarian Liberation Legion fifteen years ago.'

'I'm sorry,' Adam replied sympathetically. 'I…uh, I know what it's like. To lose everything.'

She raised her chin in understanding. 'You lost your home in the war, too.'

'In a war, yes,' he said, picking his fingers anxiously. 'My village was burned down when I was nine. I was one of the only survivors.'

'I'm so sorry. That's…horrible. But…' Adam's ears perked up at that word. '…N-Not to be rude, but…if your life was so badly affected by war, why would you choose to fight in one?'

'I had my reasons. Many of them were…personal.'

Sylvia raised her chin in thought for a moment. She repeated the words in her head for a moment before it finally made sense.

'You wanted revenge, didn't you?'

There wasn't a hint of judgement in her voice. Her tone was merely factual, observational, not hateful. Adam was almost surprised to hear how little she judged him for it.

'Yes,' he said honestly, gesturing to his missing right arm. 'Although it…clearly didn't turn out so well for me.'

'Hmm, well, word of advice, Adam?' she offered, prompting a nod from him. 'You narrowly escaped the fire once, why run back in again?'

'I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for my friends and family. The people who matter to me.'

'Do they even know that you're alive?' asked Sylvia. Adam clenched his fists, clutching the edges of the doorframe.

'No. Can't get a single damn message out with this whole stupid lockdown.'

'I'm sorry to hear that,' she replied, her eyes welling with sympathy. 'I suppose…you have to believe in them. In their ability to continue on whilst you're gone.'

'I'm putting them through grief just staying here,' he argued, bumping the washing machine in frustration. 'I know I have to have faith in them, but…even if I do come back, what am I supposed to say to them?'

'The truth. In time, you just have to hope they forgive you and let you back in. That's all I can say.'

Adam nodded with uncertainty, but he didn't say anything. Sylvia took that as an admission of agreement and subsequently fell silent. Neither of them had anything to say, with only the absentminded rumbling of the washing machine in the background to permeate the silence. After a while, the washing machine shuddered to a stop, and a green light appeared on the side.

'Ah!' exclaimed Sylvia, opening the door and happily transferring the clothes from the washing machine to the tumble dryer. 'By the way…are you really a Butterfly? As in, royalty?'

Adam twiddled his thumbs reluctantly. He made a chittering noise as he skated his teeth nervously across on another.

'Not by choice,' he confessed, sighing. 'Technically, yeah, I am a royal, but…only because I was adopted by the Butterfly Family.'

'Doesn't that make you a prince?'

'I've never liked being called that,' Adam responded. 'Besides, "Ward" is more accurate. I always wanted to be known as just "Adam", but, if things were formal, then it was the Royal Magic Ambassador. I thought that was more important than my status. But I'm, uh, I'm not the RMA anymore.'

'You know, Adam, I have to ask,' said Sylvia, rubbing her chin. 'How did you manage to get so…lucky? You said yourself…you're just the common man. How did you go from that to Royal Magic Ambassador and Ward to the Butterfly Kingdom?'

'It's a long story. I mean, yeah, luck was certainly involved, but a whole lot of tragedy, too.' He smiled away the moment of pain that appeared in his eyes. 'If you're worried about me being some spoilt rich kid, you don't need to.'

Sylvia beamed at him. 'I'm not. I can tell. You don't act like royalty.'

'I'm not royalty,' he insisted. 'Not really. It was more of a formality.'

She smirked humorously. 'I guess this means we should all start calling you "Prince Adam" now, huh?'

'Just Adam will do,' replied the Mewman, smiling back. 'But, uh…if you could keep my whole "royal status" thing quiet, I'd really appreciate it. Don't want them to know. I don't want to be treated any differently because of it.'

Sylvia raised her hands placatingly and smiled.

'Don't worry,' she said, 'it'll be our secret.'

By the time all the kids had eaten their breakfast, Sylvia and Adam were done with laundry. There had been a lot of crockery and silverware to put away after Jason cleaned them, but Adam managed with just the one arm. He hadn't interacted with any of the other kids yet. They didn't seem to notice him, despite being very distinctly not a Lacetus.

It was only when Michael called a meeting in the main foyer did Adam suspect he was about to be introduced. Not that he particularly wanted t o be, but it was obviously necessary. He stood off to the side, with Sylvia and Jason next to him after they showed him around. Michael stood at the front.

The children were all gathered up the stairs, like a long queue of partygoers waiting anxiously for a concert. Indeed, one of the children, a teenaged Lacetus, was the first to speak up about the situation.

'What's going on, Mike?'

The person next to them nodded. 'Yeah, what's this random meeting about?'

'Is there a new kid?' asked a smaller child. Adam was tempted to laugh at the children's blatant ignorance of him, but he kept himself quiet.

'Something like that,' said Michael, nodding to Adam. 'This here is Adam. He's the newest care-worker.'

Adam awkwardly raised a hand. 'Hi.'

One of the teenagers took one look at him and folded their arms. 'Mike, do you have a compulsion to gravitate towards Mewmans?' they asked humorously. 'We must be one of the few Apophians in a hundred years to see more than two Mewmans.'

'Merely a coincidence, Tammy,' he said, smiling.

'I'm not complaining!' exclaimed Lily, excitedly throwing her hands up in the air. Adam gave her a friendly wink when the others weren't looking.

Another of the kids, a younger kid around Lily's age, pointed at his missing arm and injured leg, proclaiming, 'Nice battle scars, dude! So cool!'

'I've been through my fair share of wars,' Adam replied, plastering a humorous smile on his face. 'I'm tough as nails to have survived all this.'

'Wait…' uttered another teenager, rubbing his chin. 'I know you! You were in the paper this morning! "Former Royal Magic Ambassador ordered to perform civil service". But I didn't think "civil service" meant working here.'

'"Civil service"?' someone else parroted. 'Did you get in trouble with the government or something?'

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but Michael did it first.

'Please, kids. No gossip. Let's try to make Adam feel welcome, okay?' There was a vague air of reluctant acquiescence amongst the care children, with only Lily seeming excited. Michael beckoned towards him, gesturing in the direction of his office behind him. 'Adam? I need to speak to you in my office for a moment.'

Adam nodded, if a little confused. Before he went to follow him, he addressed the children first.

'I hope we can all get along,' he told them, smiling. 'I'll do my best to make sure you all feel safe.'

He didn't get much response from them, but they at least seemed mostly neutral. In truth, Adam had been expecting them to take an instant dislike to him for being a stranger, but they seemed more receptive than that. At least Lily seemed to be fighting in his corner. And rather passionately, too.

Adam promptly followed Michael into his office. He politely shut the door behind him. Michael went over to his chest of metal drawers and began searching for something.

'Don't worry about the children,' Michael assured him, although he wasn't looking at him. 'It'll take some time for them to warm up.'

Adam shrugged. 'It's okay. So…what did you want to speak to me about?'

'Well, it's about Lily.' Michael reached into the drawer and produced a folder. He began searching through it to find the right file. 'Her stepfather wants to reassume custody of her.'

'Why now?' he asked. Michael handed him a file, which he subconsciously took hold of. It was a dossier of a Lacetus by the name of Abel Mercutio Stillwater. Lily's stepfather. There was a picture of him attached, and it depicted a sullen man, gaunt and bony. He was a Lacetus with pale skin.

'I don't want to say too much about Lily's past, it is confidential information, but read the list of offences.'

Adam did as he was told, finding a table at the bottom which listed Abel as a former drug addict who had been convicted for alcoholic misdemeanours and aggravated assault around five years ago. He had assumed custody of Lily very shortly after she was born. Her parents had died, and Abel was a family friend. Before his drug and alcohol addictions were known to the authorities, he had been taking care of her.

It seemed, from the short summary listed on the page, that he had been living in Apophis for some time with his family, but he fell into alcoholism and drugs and Lily was placed in care. Judging by the scarce reference to his wife, she likely passed away too. Which may have triggered the fall into drugs and alcohol.

'And you think this guy is a suitable parent?' he remarked dubiously.

'Well, that's the thing,' Michael explained, 'he's been on a recovery program for years. He's been trying to get Lily back for a while, but only recently did he pass all the tests. He's been evaluated psychologically, physically, behaviourally…in every essence, Abel has been cleared and judged fit for custody. The only thing that remains is a home inspection. That's our responsibility. And why I brought you here. Tomorrow, you and I are going to head to Abel's house in Newton Way and examine him. We're the last port of call.'

'But…why me?' enquired Adam, frowning. 'Wouldn't Jason or Sylvia be better for this? I mean…I just got here.'

'That's exactly why you're perfect for this,' he replied. 'Abel has visited a handful of times when he was sober. He knows Jason and Sylvia quite well. I figured, since he doesn't know you, he'd be far more nervous. So, if there is any reason that he may be unfit for custody, it will be more obvious.'

Adam glanced at his cane.

'Not sure how intimidating I'm going to be, like this.'

'If Abel is guilty, he'd be intimidated by a fly. I'm not sure whether he is or isn't but given his history…I'm determined to find out, once and for all.'

'Alright. I'll do it,' he agreed. This was for Lily, anyway. If she was going to find a home, it was his responsibility as a care-worker to make sure it was the safest and warmest home possible. 'So…does Lily know? About her stepdad?'

Michael sighed and leant on the edge of his desk, folding his arms.

'I haven't told her yet,' he confessed. 'I'm going to tell her tonight. Lily doesn't exactly…like her stepfather. It's big news.'

'And you're not sure how she's going to take it.'

'Exactly.' Michael nodded towards the office door. 'That's all, Adam. You can go now.'

'Thanks,' he said, walking out the room. As he was on his way out, though, Michael cleared his throat. He stopped and looked back, raising an eyebrow.

'By the way – if you want the kids to warm up to you, my advice would be…take an interest in their interests. Children like it when you seem interested in their hobbies.'

Adam nodded on his way out. 'I'll try my best.' Michael smiled back at him as the Mewman closed the door and left.

All the children had vacated the foyer by the time they were back. Some of the kids were watching television in the living room, by the looks of it, but he strongly suspected they wanted to be left alone, going by the uncomfortable looks they gave him when he entered the room. They were placing bets on contestants on some game show. Apophis had television shows, it seemed.

He wasn't sure where Sylvia had gone, but he eyed Jason through the window in the door to the garden. He seemed to be supervising some of the kids as they were playing. Curious, Adam went outside to have a look.

'Hey,' greeted Jason, giving only a side glance in favour of supervising the kids. They were running about the garden, playing a game. Adam went over to stand next to him. 'So, what did Michael want with you?'

'Oh, it was just about Lily. He wanted to help about a meeting with her stepdad.'

He had been sure to keep his voice quiet about the matter. Jason gave a respectful nod, seemingly understanding his intentions. Adam turned to address the playing children.

'So, what game are you guys playing?' he asked, louder than before. There were three kids: Cordelia, Tomas, and Charlie. Adam recalled them from the list, although Jason did have to point them out to him.

'We're playing Tig!' cried Cordelia, reaching out to tag Tomas on the back. 'You're It!'

Charlie stopped in front of him. 'Are you going to play with us, Mister Adam?'

Adam hummed pensively. He contemplated the idea for a moment, his eye inevitably glancing to his fractured leg. By the time he looked back, all three of the kids had stopped to stare at him expectantly. He looked nervously over at Jason, who merely nodded.

'I can supervise,' he told him. Adam let out a slight groan and sighed.

'Oh, alright,' he said, hobbling towards the group, who promptly celebrated. 'I'm warning you, though, my leg really isn't what it used to be.'

'We'll restart,' Charlie declared, pointing at Cordelia. 'Cordy! You're It!'

Cordelia frowned. 'What? Tomas is It! I just got him!'

'Well, it's the only way to be fair,' Adam pointed out, shrugging. 'Next time we can pick someone else.'

She pursed her lips and folded her arms childishly. 'Okay. Fiiiiine.'

'Ready, set, go!' Charlie yelled, sprinting a full circle around the garden in less than five seconds.

Adam went as fast as he could, shuffling around the garden at just above a brisk walking pace. His gait remained untidy and uneven, but at least the painkillers he took that morning had kicked in and limited the pain. The children exchanged tigs, proudly proclaiming, "TIG!" every time their fingers made contact. Adam cut across the garden towards Tomas, who was It, but he seemed to be avoiding him.

'Kids, I don't mind being It,' he spoke up, smiling. 'Don't worry about me. I'll manage. I wouldn't be playing this game if I couldn't.'

The three kids exchanged uncertain nods. Tomas reluctantly went over to him and tapped him on the arm.

'Tig.'

Adam smirked and patted him on the back. 'Tig.'

Tomas frowned in surprise. He tagged him again, but Adam immediately tagged him back with lightning speed.

'Nuh-uh! That's not fair!' he cried, prompting a chortle from Adam. He tried again, but Adam managed to brush him right before Tomas could move out of the way. Determined, Tomas increased his speed. 'Tig!' He leapt out of the way of Adam's swipe before he could be tagged again. Adam beamed as the boy celebrated. 'Ha! Got you!'

'Well, I guess I'm It,' Adam said, shrugging. He abruptly began rushing toward the three kids. 'Here I come!' They all moved out of the way, but he was fast enough to catch Charlie narrowly before he could escape. 'Tig!'

Adam avoided his return swipe. Charlie went after Cordelia next, whilst they all continually tried to avoid being It. They played for a bit longer, and Adam found that at least he could still keep up with children at his infirm pace. Tigs were exchanged between them every few seconds.

However, as Adam played the game, he noticed the back garden door open again. Jason seemed to, as well.

Lily entered the garden and watched them play for a few moments. However, instead of choosing to participate, she chose to sit in the corner and just…watch. She didn't seem exactly gloomy, although certainly withdrawn, with how she pulled her knees up to her chin and watched them without complaint.

Adam looked over at Jason. They both had noticed Lily's solitary behaviour. Adam nodded curiously in Lily's direction, signalling him to perhaps go over to the girl and talk to her. Jason looked like he was on the verge of movement, but he stopped himself. He folded his arms and looked at Adam in the eye, nodding in Lily's direction. Adam understood what he was being ordered to do.

'I'm gonna take a quick break, alright?' he told the kids, stepping away from the group and making his way towards Lily. Her head was down by this time, silent in thought. 'Hello.'

Lily glanced up at him for a second before looking away. 'Hi,' she murmured through her knees.

'Are you okay?' he asked gently, sitting down next to her.

''m fine. You…you don't have to waste your time on me. Y-You can go back to your game.'

Adam shook his head.

'Can't do that.'

Lily raised her head from her knees and turned to look him in the eye, her eyebrows raised. 'Why?'

'Well, you look like you could use a friend right now.'

Lily propped her head on her knees again, muttering, 'I don't really have friends.'

'You do now,' replied Adam, beaming at her. Lily hummed dubiously.

'You're being paid to do this. It's your job to be my friend!'

Adam drew back slightly, nonplussed. Clever girl, he thought. He wouldn't have thought someone her age would be smart enough to recognise that. Most kids her age would think their care-workers are surrogate parents, not paid employees. Well, for him, the "paid" part was lacking.

'I'm actually not being paid for this,' he told her, catching the girl by surprise. She looked at him and frowned. 'This was a civil punishment, but, technically, I got to choose the punishment.'

'But…you're still forced to be here.'

'Well, yes…' he admitted, biting his lip. 'But nobody forced me to come over here and talk to you. Jason is right there; he could have done it himself.'

To that, Lily simply shrugged. 'I guess.'

'So…would you like to play tig with us?'

Lily looked away and glanced at the ground.

'I can't.'

Adam frowned, immediately asking, 'Why?'

'I don't deserve it.'

'What do you mean you don't deserve it?' he asked. 'Why would you need to deserve it? It's only a little bit of fun…I think every child is entitled to that.'

'I'm not allowed to have fun.'

Adam almost wanted to chuckle at the asinine thought, but a concerned frown overtook him as he contemplated the meaning behind her words. "Not allowed"? Who says they're "not allowed" to have a basic Mewman right? What was her stepfather teaching her?

'Every child on this planet deserves to have fun,' he declared, folding his arms. 'It's a basic right for everyone, really. Who told you that you're "not allowed" to have fun?'

She hid her head in her hands. 'Daddy.'

Adam glanced away, crestfallen. She certainly wasn't going to be too thrilled when she finds out about her stepdad coming back to live with her again. And if he taught her something like this, then he could see why.

'Well…sometimes, grown-ups can be really lame,' he said, humming at the thought. 'And sometimes, you end up listening to the wrong grown-up.'

Puzzled by the thought, Lily looked up at him and asked, 'But how do I know which grown-ups are the right ones?'

To that, Adam simply smiled and patted her gently on the shoulder.

'That's the beauty of life. You get to choose,' he told her. 'You could ignore everything I'm saying and listen to the things your dad used to tell you, or you could take it on board. It's your decision. And you have to stand your ground for what you believe in, not let someone push you over.'

Adam took hold of his cane and pressed down the ground. Letting out a great groan of pain, he raised himself off the wall and stood up. He gestured towards the group of kids playing a few yards away.

'Do you want to join in?'

Lily considered it for a moment, before ultimately shaking her head. 'Is…is it okay if I don't want to?'

'Of course, it is,' Adam reassured her, smiling. 'I was asking, not ordering. What would you like to do, Lily?'

'Um…I think I'd like to just sit and watch.'

'Then by all means, don't let me stop you.'

With that, Adam returned to the game of Tig, safe in the knowledge that he had handled the situation well. He had forgotten that Jason was still there, and that he had been watching him the whole time. He let out an involuntary humming remark, shrugging curiously to himself.

That evening, when all had been said and done, Adam found himself sitting at the dinner table with the children. Jason and Sylvia hung by in the kitchen, having their own conversation just out of earshot. They weren't eating, for their meals were handled separately. Michael was in his office, probably supervising more paperwork. Adam took a sip of his water and set down the glass before continuing.

'So Hekapoo and I travelled to Brunhilde Towers to see if we could find this strange "ancient warlock" so they could show us where the Web of Creation was,' he recounted, sitting back. 'But when we got there, the woman we were supposed to find, Everness Emerald, was…well I don't know what she did exactly. People came to her with their problems, and she'd offer solutions.'

'Like a consulting therapist?' asked Trilla, a twelve-year-old Lacetus. Adam nodded, casting a faraway gaze through the margins of the table.

'Something like that. She had a…lengthy job description.' He cleared his throat. 'Anyway, she agreed to show us where the Web was, but…not before we did something for her. She wanted us to take care of some of her clients for her.'

Adam smiled to himself. 'Looking back on it…she was probably testing us. Making sure we didn't want the Web for ourselves, or something. So, we spoke to some of her clients.' He raised his eyebrows. 'Let me tell you…merging two different dimensions leads to…unique problems, I suppose.

'But nature doesn't change, and neither does evil. Just a different dressing.'

Another of the kids, a fifteen-year-old Alex Voyager, hummed slightly in discontent and sat back in his seat. The other kids, who had been intently listening to his story, turned to stare at him.

'You know…' he spoke up, catching Adam's attention. 'When you said you "averted an interdimensional cataclysm", I…thought it would be more interesting than this.'

'I didn't want to tell a story that was all doom and gloom,' justified Adam, shrugging. 'Most of my other adventures were much less light-hearted.' He unconsciously itched his right shoulder. 'As you can probably tell.'

All the children in the dining room glanced nervously at one another, as though a large Warnicorn had entered the room but had gone unaddressed up until that moment.

Alex was the one to ask that question, and he accomplished it with all the precision of a drunk bullfrog.

'How did you lose the arm?'

'In battle,' he admitted. 'In the Great Monsoon. Not my finest moment.'

'Yeah, we know that part,' said the boy, rolling his eyes. 'But you haven't really given full details.'

'Alex!' Trilla complained, shooting up from her seat. 'It's his first day; he only just met us! He doesn't have to tell us everything about his life. Especially not something so personal.'

Adam hummed in agreement. 'Thank you, Trilla. You can…sit down.' Trilla smiled nervously and lowered down into her chair. Adam scratched his half-shaven chin. 'Let's just call it "an epic space battle". To be honest with you, I don't think it's a story that's safe for you to hear. Or anyone here, for that matter. It's not child-friendly.'

Alex sat back in his seat and folded his arms. 'I'm no kid. I'm fifteen!'

Adam gave him a dubious look.

'By the time I was your age, I knew how to hunt for my own food, how to construct tools, traps, and weapons, make clothes, when and where to find shelter, and even specific weather patterns.'

'Well…clearly our childhoods were different.'

'Exactly,' he said. 'We come from two different worlds, Alex. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Why would you assume just because you're older than most of the people here that you could handle it?'

Alex rolled his eyes, only giving a vacant, 'Whatever.'

'Is that true?' asked another child, Ellie. 'Did you really know all that stuff by the time you were fifteen?'

Adam nodded. 'Oh yes. In fact, I even sewed the clothes I'm wearing right now. Never been good at making shoes. That was more Be–um, my friend's expertise.'

'So, you're kind of like a survivalist? Never seen near a city?'

'Uh, well, yeah. For the most part. But, uh, fairly recently, I got lucky and settled down in the Butterfly Kingdom.'

Ellie hummed. 'Must be weird, living in the city after so long spent out on the wilderness.'

'Yeah…' he replied, scratching his scalp. 'Let's just say it was a very different Mewni from what I was used to.'

'I have to ask: how did you go from survivalist to Royal Magic Ambassador?'

Trilla had asked him the question, though he almost missed it. He gave a meagre shrug.

'It's a long story. I –'

Adam shot out a hand and caught something. He blinked and glanced to his left. In his hand, he was holding a glass, just barely an inch below the table. The child to his left, who had accidentally knocked off the glass, stared at him with abject wonder. The other were no less shocked.

'Woah!'

'How'd you do that?'

'You must have some super-fast reflexes!'

'I would say "hyper-fast", but yes.'

'Do it again!'

All the voices seemed to mix together, becoming nothing more than a cacophony of nothingness. Adam drowned the voices out, fixating on only the rescued glass in his hand.

Thanks for reading! Happy new year! Sorry it took so long.

Sorry if this chapter felt rather uneventful, or more in line with fluff. As I mentioned before, this episode and the next are more about Adam's personal journey and development, rather than the war at large. The next chapter will feature Star and Marco at the beginning as they process their grief. After that, there will be a shift to Moon's perspective. I'm actually quite excited to write that part.

But for this chapter, we see Adam trying to adapt to his new surroundings and failing pretty terribly. He doesn't do "domestic", and it's weird to him to have to act like an ordinary person with an ordinary job. This lifestyle is quite possibly the furthest thing from his life growing up on Negative Mewni. The plot will get going more in the next chapter, but you can see the seeds of action being planted. That end scene certainly gave an indication of what's to come, I hope.

For those who feel disinterested by this and would rather see the greater conflict, I can assure you that Adam's time in Apophis will only be two episodes. Well, two and a half, but you get the idea. Chapters from here on out will only be 2-3 chapters in length, with 2 being the preferred amount. For the story I'm telling, I think it's enough. But that's just my opinion.

We're getting seriously close to the end of this story now. Weird to think about. I'm now certain there will be 63 total chapters (62 main the epilogue). That's only ten more chapters, or 4 more episodes, to go, including this one. I know I always said it would be a six-part finale, but I made it into seven by splitting the last episode into two. All the events are the same, I just realised the last episode would be too long for my liking, that's all.

To think, I originally said there would be around 30-35 chapters. What a gross underestimate that was! Ha!

Anyway, the next chapter will be the last of this episode. It will be called "Lone Wolves Should Find Homes". I'm through with my writer's block, so I hope I can write this chapter much quicker than I did this one!

As always, thanks for all the support, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter!