Aka Vent gets heroic, Giro gets nosy, and Aile Does Not appreciate it.

*Edit* Thanks to RTV10 on AO3 for the reminder that part of this chapter was a subtle ref/cameo to another fic, I believe called "Megaman ZX: Return to Zero" by RiceKrispie. Sorry I forgot to mention it! I'm getting old... XP

Aile arrived back at base almost exactly the same time her brother did. Slightly afterwards, only barely, but just enough time for her to walk into the bridge of the Grande Nuage mere moments after Vent began a mission debriefing to Prairie. Her brother remained blissfully unaware as Aile listened in on the conversation. At first she was curious, then startled. Then, after she found out that he'd gone out on a dangerous mission without her, explicitly going against what Aile had told him not to do, she was utterly furious. Aile's rage slowly grew and grew. She felt like she was going to explode the more she heard about Vent's endeavors. Prairie, that damn woman, somehow managed to keep a poker face throughout the whole event, her eyes only occasionally flitting to Aile. It didn't take long for Vent to finish his report. When Vent was done with his explanation, he nodded in satisfaction then turned to leave, only to find his sister glaring at him.

The proud grin he'd been wearing disappeared instantly. His complexion turned as pale as a sheet, "O-oh, heya… sis..?" The whole bridge turned to watch as the crew cottoned on that something momentous was about to occur. The silence was ominous. Not a soul dared move, nor even breathe.

Aile glared. She glared like she'd never before glared in her life, with all her anger and vitriol bubbling under her skin. She felt a rage unlike any she'd ever known turn her insides from magma-hot to glacier-cold in a moment. "I told you to wait," she said, in a calm voice that held far more imminent threat than any plethora of weaponry ever could.

"Y-yeah, sis, ab-bout that-" Vent chuckled nervously.

"I TOLD YOU TO WAIT!" she roared. Half the operators in the room dove for cover while the other half froze in a panic. A couple even grinned in sadistic anticipation of the coming entertainment. Prairie, the bitch, was thankfully not one of these people. Aile probably would have skewered her if she was. As such Aile ignored her and began yelling at Vent. The Imp of Cinq Ville utterly reemed her brother out, furious at the betrayal. He'd left without her? He. Left. WITHOUT HER! How dare he!? Vent shrunk away as Aile's volume rose, threats and lectures interspersed with panic, vitriol, and ruthless tactical advice that her brother was clearly lacking. More than a few onlookers simply locked up like a deer in the headlights, a few had their jaws drop, and one or two shrank as well. The terror in their eyes would have made her father proud. Aile's tirade took a full ten minutes before she started to repeat herself, stutter, freak out, and eventually wind down. "T-THE ONLY REASON I'M NOT GOING TO, TO…! TO STRIP YOU TO YOUR UNDERWEAR AND RAKE YOU OVER THE COALS," she shrieked, "IS BECAUSE OF THOSE DAMN SPIKE PITS YOU MENTIONED!"

Aile would allow Vent this one concession. Even the Imp of Cinq Ville had to grudgingly admit that all the things Vent had said occurred during the mission, like spikes, flying, and people getting turned into cyber elves, would have been a major nuisance to her. But just because his choice to leave her behind in such a scenario made sense, it didn't mean that she wasn't pissed about being completely excluded from the decision. "I swear on whatever gods haven't died already, Vent, that if you pull this shit again, I, I'm going to… ooh! Oh you don't even want to know what I'm going to do!" Like team up with her dad to beat some sense into his thick skull. Oh yes. Absolutely that. Her loveable brother was getting tag-teamed the next time he tried to pull this shit. Vent flapped his jaws feebly as Aile growled, "You. DO NOT. Make stupid decisions like this without consulting me next time, kapeesh?!"

Vent chose a very bad moment to try and stick up for himself, "A-Aile, I know you're worried, but I'm a M-Mega Man! I'm strong, and I can make my own choices!"

Aile practically screamed, "DON'T you fucking dare take that tone with me! You making decisions alone nearly got yourself killed! You say that to me again and I'll, and I'll…! I'll get Daddy's sword and shove it so far up your ass people will think you had a tonsillectomy!" Aile trembled, tears coming to her eyes, "I can't watch over you if you run out on your own like that! I can't protect you if I don't know where you are! I… I don't want to lose you again!" And with that Aile started bawling. Vent shrank down farther than should ever have been humanly possible. Guilt saturated his features, and more than a few onlookers started looking around awkwardly or clutching at their hearts.

Vent sagged as Aile tried and failed to control her outburst. His voice was heavy, "Aile… I'm sorry. I…"

"S-Spare some concern f-for everyone who's w-worried about you… please," Aile entreated. Damn hormones, damn traumas, damn herself for making such an unsightly fuss. She'd been the cool, tough loner for how many years now? Why was she being so ridiculous about this so suddenly? "M-making me do something s-stupid like crying like this… n-not cool, bro." She shook herself, coughing as she tried to regain some small shred of dignity. To pretend that she hadn't just bawled her eyes and freaked out in front of a bunch of strangers.

Unbeknownst to either of the siblings, Prairie had received a message from Muguet on her console during the shouting match, and her face had darkened considerably. Her eyes stared at the console, darted between Vent and Aile, then went straight back to the console in quick succession as she wrote a rapid response. She took a discreet moment to gather herself. Then she waited for the conversation to come to a close, and utilized her opportunity the moment it came. Once Aile started to fumble and Vent looked around like he wanted to be anywhere but there, Prairie spoke up, "Vent. It's good that you have arrived back safe and sound. I'm glad my faith in you was not misplaced. But perhaps, for now, you should retreat to the medical quarters to rest and have a checkup after your mission." She folded her arms and looked to Aile, "And you… I understand your concerns. They are completely valid. It's clear that you're a bit stressed right now, though. Perhaps a quick trip to the deck will help dry those eyes of yours?"

"Y-yeah. Sounds good," Aile answered. She turned and walked quickly from the room, doing her best not to run out of the room like a coward and mostly failing.

Vent watched his sister leave. His gaze was still upset, but he dredged up what little dignity he had left to turn to Prairie and nodded, "R-Right away, commander." He left with more hurry to his step than Aile, clearly relieved at having been released from duty.

Prairie sighed. Oh, what a mess this was! She let herself breathe for a moment. Then she got up from her seat and headed straight to medical, where both Giro and Muguet were awaiting her and Vent. As much as she hated to overload Vent, something serious had come up in regards to the genetics test. Something very serious indeed.

It wasn't often that you came across descendants of one of history's greatest criminals.

—-—-

Vent arrived slowly at the medical bay, his posture still bent with guilt and humiliation from the lecture earlier. Prairie strode into the room shortly behind him. He betrayed some surprise at her appearance, but said nothing. The commander ignored this as she looked around, ensuring that everyone in the room who was supposed to be there was there, and no more. Due to the severity of the subject she was about to discuss, she wasn't going to tolerate any unwanted onlookers. Seeing none she nodded to herself. Then she turned towards Vent and the others before she suddenly spoke, "It's good to see that you're all here. I must apologize for the secrecy… we have some very important but delicate information to discuss."

Intrigued by this information, Vent looked around the room, taking note of which occupants were being allowed to listen in on the conversation. Giro and Muguet were both there, perhaps having been in medical already to discuss something about Giro himself. Apart from them and Prairie, however, the room was empty. Even the shy nurse Rose was nowhere to be seen. Vent pondered about why this specific crowd was present. Muguet was the head nurse, of course, which made Vent suspect that the information had something to do with biology or medical data in general, especially as she was someone that could be trusted to keep information private. Then there was Giro, which made Vent worriedly suspect that the information may have been about himself or his recently wounded parental figure. Why else would the man be present?

Vent's worry over Giro's health skyrocketed at these thoughts. He observed his parental figure as he entered the area. Giro was already sat down, Vent noted, as per his new usual. His father had to sit a lot these days. He couldn't walk down a corridor without leaning on a wall, often out of breath or wincing in pain when too much weight was put on his spine. This had apparently prompted their local medical staff to provide him with a cane; the new-ish object was tucked subtly at Giro's side. A long recovery was ahead for him, if what Rose had told Vent was true… But she had also stated that he might never fully recover at all. Vent was upset at this thought and shoved it to the back of his mind. He knew he had been called to medical for a reason, and doubted it was to bemoan his parent's fate. So he pushed those dark thoughts back into the deepest recesses of his mind, where they belonged, and listened as Prairie prepared to continue her speech.

The blonde commander watched everyone in the room. Upon looking around the assembly and confirming that she had everyone's attention, Prairie wasted no time and began to explain, "Forgive me if I launch right into it, but one of the tests I had Muguet run on you and Aile was a genetic test. A fairly routine test, all told, but… We quickly grew concerned as it flagged our system. I'm sorry to dump this on you out of nowhere Vent, but you and your sister are likely both related to… I won't say his name, but… a man from long ago that caused incalculable losses of life, and may be related to the source of Model W."

Vent looked extremely concerned by the news, yet Giro himself seemed surprisingly unaffected by the revelation. He spoke calmly, "Related to the origins of Model W…. Ah. I see. I've long suspected that something was up. Long ago, the first commander of the Guardian gave me an order to help protect survivors of mavericks raids… And to protect you from the people who are after the power inside you, and inside myself. Vent. You and me are both chosen ones. I thought at first that the first commander was worried that we would all be targeted for our abilities, but perhaps our genetics was another reason."

"I'll check our records concerning other maverick raid survivors and possible Mega Men. We weren't aware of any genetic similarities before, but now that this has come up, we'll have to look into it more," Muguet commented.

Prairie nodded at her, "Yes. Do get back to me on that."

"Obviously that was part of the reason I retired to raise you… though I must admit, the first commander certainly didn't have to push me very hard for that. I was quite fond of you," Giro reassured his charge. "The commander told me to take care of maverick survivors… Well, I should say that she asked me to. She gave me the choice to say no if I wanted to. But I said yes." Giro looked at Vent fondly, "That being said… You were not the first kid I saved in my Guardian career, Vent, but something about you was special from the moment you'd been rescued. Even without involving shady genetics in the mix."

"You might be wondering why this is relevant," Prairie explained. "To be blunt, we're worried that your DNA matching that person of interest in our system might be related to the Model W debacle going on, and not just a coincidence."

Vent shuffled uncomfortably as he processed this revelation, softly asking, "This person… if they were a former enemy… Is there anything I should know about them? My ancestor?"

"It's all in the past, and best left forgotten," Prairie deflected. She looked at him kindly, "You don't need that sort of knowledge. It won't do you any good in the long run. Genetic relative or not, he has had no direct impact on your life up until now, and I think it's best to keep it that way. DNA doesn't make the person. Don't worry too much about being related to him, just be aware of people who might have dark intentions towards you and your sister because of it." She grimaced as she continued, "If anyone else finds that out too… With your twin sister, Aile, being a biomatch as well, or simply because she is also related to this man… it could paint a target on her back." Vent's eye widened at the thought of potential threat to his sister. Prairie ignored this as she continued, "We don't want her getting a biometal. For literally everyone's safety. With her genetics matching yours, for obvious reasons, that means that she is also related to this person. Others will doubtlessly figure this out. She doesn't seem to have realized this, and I think it'll be best to keep it this way. We will have to keep Aile close at hand because of this, and not just for her sake. I hope you don't take offense when I point out how much of a problem your sister could be if she got her hands on a biometal… Or if someone with evil intentions got their hands on her."

Everyone in attendance shuddered at the thought. Vent groaned in agreement, "No, you're right. She's trouble when she wants to be. And I don't want anyone to hurt her." Vent heaved a great sigh. Then his face grew determined, "But more than that, I agree with you. No biometal for her. I want my sister out of the line of fire."

"She's not going to make it easy though," Giro said as he adjusted his glasses, "especially not after today's lecture." Vent winced at the mention of it.

"Speaking of being a biomatch," Model L noted out of the blue, "anyone else think her spear is weirdly familiar?"

"Eh, you're probably imagining things," Model F grunted. "You sure you're just not making up some silly excuse to be her biomatch?"

"I'm not saying I'd mind being her biometal, she's fun to be around. But that wasn't the point!"

"Suuuuure it wasn't. I saw you hovering around her shoulder like a pet parrot."

"Back off! It's not like I was the only one sizing her up!"

"Kindly leave me out of this," Model P grumbled. Unfortunately for the purple biometal, his words caused the exact opposite effect. All three biometals were bickering within short order. Model X, ever the peacekeeper, tried to step in to defuse the situation.

Unfortunately, he failed spectacularly.

Vent and Giro both laughed at the argument, and the resulting events. The blonde male had to briefly explain to a moderately confused Prairie the reason why some of Vent's biometals had started to bob up and down angrily and chase each other around the room. Prairie couldn't help but giggle at the antics. She soon recovered her composure. With the meeting drawing to a close, the commander gathered herself up as she turned to Vent one last time, "Vent? Thank you for being so understanding. You've had a long day though, and I suspect some rest is in order. Before you do so, however, may I ask you to fetch Aile for me?"

Vent winced, but readily agreed with a salute. Without further ado he was out the door, thoughts and revelations heavy on his mind. He, along with everyone else in the room, was worried about the course of events with Slither Inc. What would happen with himself, his sister, and so on.

No doubt about it. The future was murky and ominous indeed.

—-—-

After a couple of minutes of asking around, Vent found his sibling on the top deck of the ship. She was sat near the door, hunched up and glaring at the lack of railings in the area. Thon was nearby too, stood on the other side of the doorframe from Aile while he kept a casual yet practiced eye on the area. Vent gave him a nod. The man turned to him and nodded back with a friendly grunt. Then he returned to whatever he was doing, which was, Vent suspected, keeping an eye on Aile while being as subtle as possible about it. Vent had asked Thon about the Imp of Cinq Ville shortly after Giro had started to recover. The man had grudgingly admitted some respect and concern for the fearless miscreant. This was, of course, not something he made obvious once the troublemaker in question was aboard their ship.

Aile noticed him arrive and curled up on herself even more, looking away from him. Vent noticed that her eyes were still red, though she was clearly making attempts to cover it up. A pang of guilt shot through him. He plunked himself down next to her on the deck. She looked towards him slightly as he did so. He caught her eye, plucked up his courage, and spoke. "I screwed up," Vent sighed loudly.

Aile grumbled softly in agreement, "Yeah. You did."

Vent was a little surprised to hear a distinct absence of vitriol in her tone. He took a risk and lightly shoved his shoulder into hers, "I'm sorry, Aile. Can you forgive me?"

Aile sniffled, then wasted no time or dignity in leaning against him. "Yeah. I think I can."

For a moment the pair of them simply let it sit at that, neither one of them speaking up as they silently reconciled. Then Aile spoke out of the blue, "I'm, uh, sorry too. I was just… You made me super worried you jerk! I don't know how to deal with you when you do shit like that."

Vent took this in thoughtfully. He'd dealt with all sorts of oddball and socially inept customers before, so it gave him some idea of where she might be coming from. Aile was doubtlessly having a hard time dealing with her sibling and how she felt about him. He wasn't so sure what he felt about her, either, only that he was already uncannily fond. And extremely exasperated. "Having a sister again is… I'm really happy. But it's hard to adjust, you know?" He admitted.

She snorted, "Yeah. I definitely know. I was…. I never forgot about you. But, uh… o-other than when we were kids, I don't really know what it's like to have a sibling. Or even friends? I've been this tough loner for so long, but, but uh, now I'm having to deal with a family member I thought I'd lost? And you're doing all sorts of dangerous things?" She gave a sorrowful sigh, "You're not making this easy, Vent. I really suck at relationships, I mean. I've read a lot of books. But that's turning out to be a bit different than real life. You know?"

She was leaning against him heavily now, stuttering a little as she rambled absent-mindedly. Vent, upon realizing how cold she felt, put his arms around her and drew her in. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Despite how they'd fought earlier, Vent felt awe and content from having his beloved sister returned to him. He still couldn't believe it. "I'm completely lost, too," he admitted. He groaned loudly and threaded his fingers through his hair. "And, like. I know you're supposed to be a real strong fighter. You definitely pulled my butt out of the fire, and saved Giro too, I'm just… I'm so, so grateful for that, by the way. Giro means a lot to me." He took a moment to hug her. It was a big bear hug that made her squawk slightly as he squished the air from her lungs. "Family means a lot to me. And that's why I don't like the thought of you getting into dangerous situations! It's the exact reason I left without you, because I don't like the thought of you in trouble. You don't have a biometal like I do! I don't want to imagine you being forced to fight guys that can give even me, with multiple biometals, a run for my money."

"And you fighting them alone is better than having me for backup? I worry about you!"

"And I worry about you. The biometals are my backup!" Vent explained, "They've been through a lot of fights. They've got me covered."

Aile sighed, resignation in her tone, "So we're both worried about the same thing." She stared him down crossly, "I'm very capable of handling myself! And I'm not stupid, I know when I'm out of my league! You gotta have a little faith in me you asshole. Let me come with you."

Vent chortled a bit, though he was clearly nervous about the request, "I understand. All right, fine. You can come with me. But only if you stay out of trouble! And if you want me to have faith in you, I'd like to have some faith back. That sound fair?"

It was Aile's turn to be uncomfortable about her sibling's request, but she could see his point. With that, she groaned an agreement, "Veeeeent! Okay! Fine… Maybe I just need to see what you can actually do. You're not going on missions without me, don't get me wrong!" She hissed fiercely, before her tone went submissive, "but… I guess I'd be okay sticking to the sidelines as long as I knew you could handle yourself. Like I said though," she mumbled, "I'm coming along next mission whether you like it or not."

"Fair enough," Vent laughed. The two of them took a moment to breathe. Aile shivered at his side, prompting Vent to remember the reason he'd come here. "Oh, uh, Aile… Prairie wanted to see you about something. She's in medical. You should probably go inside anyways, it's cold out here."

"Y-yeah. It's chilly for sure," Aile replied. He wasn't wrong. She felt like she was frozen to the bone, and wondered why she hadn't really noticed how cold she was until now. She was going to blame her rounds of vaccines for that. Muguet did warn her it could have some effects. "I'll… um… ugh. Yeah. Guess I'd better go if your boss is calling me."

"You'll be fine," Vent assured. He helped his sister stand up and escorted her inside. The moment the two of them were out of the fierce winds he also shuddered, a large yawn overtaking his features. "Aaaaaooooooohh! Geez! I'm pooped. I'm gonna go take a nap for a bit, but you know where I am if you need me. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah, get to sleep you lazy bum," Aile giggled, and gave him a playful smack. The pair of them smiled as they parted, glad that they had reconciled. Aile was also exhausted from the day's event. She was far more tired and sore than she should have been considering how little physical work she'd done today, but she once again blamed the vaccines for all her trouble and slowly drudged her way towards where Prairie was waiting for her. Having to meet up with the Guardian commander again was going to suck, but hey. If it's what she needed to do to cozy up to the jerks and hopefully get info about her ancestor, then she'd do what she had to do. And so Aile, despite her exhaustion, wasn't done for the day. With growing revulsion she slowly made her way down to the medical wing. Try as she might to steel her nerves, she was still jittery upon entering the area. She really hoped that Prairie wasn't going to talk about anything major. She'd already dealt with more than enough for today.

As Ailee entered the room, she noticed that Prairie was not the only one in attendance. Still, Prairie was the first to greet her upon entering, "Hello Aile! I'm sorry to bother you when you look so tired. How about we get straight to the point? I was hoping we could ask a few things."

Muguet, who was sat nearby, nodded at Aile, "Some private things, unfortunately. Nothing too major though, and you can always back out if it's too much." She gave an almost daring smirk, which immediately made Aile determined to prove that nothing was too much for her. Muguet continued despite the unspoken challenge, "That's why your brother isn't here. Every girl is owed a few secrets, ho ho!" She had a knowing look in her eyes as she winked at Aile. The cheek in her tone was infectious and made Aile grin a little as well. Damn straight she had a few secrets! And they were for her and her alone. Aile nodded back at Muguet, then looked around the room to the final occupant of the unnerving clean space.

This final person was Giro, oddly. Aile raised her eyebrow at him, and he chuckled fondly. "As your legal Guardian, I'm supposed to be here for the proceedings. A bit of balderdash, but let me know if you need me to step out."

"Nah, it's fine. You'll probably tell each other all the juicy gossip anyways. Might as well save everyone a few breaths," Aile shrugged. As she watched everyone react to her, she noticed that there seemed to be a lot of relief, as well as some guilt for being sussed out so easily.

This was confirmed when Prairie said, "That's very good, thank you Aile. You are being very understanding right now." Aile swelled at the praise, even as she shivered a little, still chilled from her stint on the deck.

Giro noticed this, "Are you all right?"

Aile scoffed, "Yeah, just stayed on the deck a little too long. Maybe a little weird from all those bug shots nursey here gave me, too. I dunno. Nothing I can't handle."

"You let me know immediately if you start to feel unwell! Or if anything unusual happens!" Muguet commanded sternly.

The medic's tone was powerful and uncompromising. This sudden, firm demand made Aile snap to attention, straightening up her back to confirm, "Yes sir-! I mean, yes ma'am," on instinct, just like she would whenever her dad gave her orders. Muguet gave her an approving look, even as Aile caught herself and shook herself to get back to the task at hand, "Er, anyways, you guys said you wanted to question me? Let's get on with it! I want a nap."

Prairie, Aile noticed with appreciation, took the opportunity to get straight into the thick of it, "Very well. Aile, we know very little of how you were raised. We know you have not gone to any official schooling, and so we're at a loss on your skills and history. We were hoping we could ask about your upbringing."

"If you're trying to trick me into revealing who my dad is, you can back off right now," Aile scolded.

Prairie frowned, but continued, "Understandable. But I'll still say it. I'm sure you know that we're concerned, and the more info you can give us, the better we can help you."

"This is a voluntary meeting, and you can back out at any time. We just want to help," Giro added quickly. Aile raised an eyebrow at him once more, but let him continue, "As your legal guardian, it's especially important for me to be able to know how to deal with… I mean, to know how you were raised."

"Makes sense," Aile conceded, "knowing the strengths and weaknesses of fellow soldiers in a fight is important. It's kinda like that! Ya gotta know my skills if I'm going to be working with you," Aile finished, looking to Prairie as she did. Prairie looked a little surprised at this answer. Aile just forged ahead anyways, "So yeah, how I got raised. I've got all sorts of combat training! I know the basics of a lot of weapons, like guns and pole arms and stuff, but I'm best with batons, staffs, and swords. I'm okay with a gun! But uh, not… not so great with hand to hand or whip-style weapons…" she admitted. Aile kicked herself for letting that slip the moment she said it, as revealing a weakness willingly was a dumb move. She tried to cover it up, "uhm, but I'm still good enough at it. Uh. So it's fine! I'm pretty good at scoping out enemy territory too, Daddy was always saying that I got really good at sneaking around."

Giro made a distressed noise in the background, but Prairie was the first to respond, "Oh. Uh. Yes, that is very useful to know. But I think we were referring more to, uh… how you were raised. Uhm. Like. Like where you lived, or, uh, the foods you eat. Friends and family?"

"Oh! R-right, sorry. That kind of stuff." Aile blushed, embarrassed at having misunderstood the question. "I, hmm, well. Growing up? Uh… I grew up around Cinq Ville. Daddy would always take me to the forest nearby to play, or tour around… around caves, and things." Aile knew she had to be careful in case she revealed too much about where she lived. She couldn't let herself unintentionally lead the Guardians right to her dad. "I didn't really have any family growing up. I grew up thinking Vent was dead after all. And I didn't need any friends either! I tried once and they all hated me. But it was my fault for trying, they were pretty dumb kids. I always had Daddy though, and that was enough."

Giro squawked. Apparently unable to contain himself, he asked, "You grew up with no friends!? Only your father? What about other adults!?"

"Bunch of idiots. Sometimes we stole from them. Sometimes he… er. Uhm. Never mind. Not important. I didn't talk with a lot of adults. Well, maybe that one lady from the pawn shop, she isn't too stupid."

"So you had no socialization at all!?"

"I did! Daddy made sure I was socialized!" Aile defended, "he got all sorts of books and stuff, like magazines, so that I could read about people's behaviours! And he taught me how to protect myself because other people would want to hurt me-!"

"Aile! Aile. Look. Look, I'm sorry, but I have to say this," Giro interrupted, alarm on his face, "I have to ask. Did he bring you to meet other people? At all? Or did he keep you prisoner, I mean, keep you to himself?"

"No! I wasn't a prisoner! Daddy told me so a lot of times. He was just protecting me," Aile growled. She could see the doubt and alarm on all their faces, and it angered her. "Daddy said that because of who I… Er. I mean. Who I was. Because of who I was, and who he was, people would want to hurt us. And he's right! I'm the Imp of Cinq Ville, and people hate me! So I had to be careful, and so did he, and he didn't take me to see anyone if he didn't need to. I mean. There was one time, because of my, uh, my period... But that was embarrassing and I'm not talking about it," she blushed.

Prairie coughed, Muguet frowned, and Giro straightened up. He was clearly concerned, 'Aile. I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, but I worry about your father. He taught you to fight and hate strangers, and that's it? Did he do anything… else?"

He was clearly trying to imply something. Aile suddenly hated Giro for this, for his doubt of her father. Her fury bubbled beneath her skin. What was he trying to say? "Yes he did! He did do other stuff! Like he trained me to fight, and he took care of me, and he taught me math even though I suck at it and hated it, and foraging, and tactics, and he read me stories until I could read them myself, he hugged me if I was scared and sad, and protected me, and-! He's the best Daddy ever!"

"Aile," Prairie began gently, "I know you love him, but you have to understand that we don't know who he is. We don't know what he's like, except for what you tell us about him."

"I'm sure he's done his best," Giro tried to patronize. "And please, forgive me for being nosy," Giro explained. "I'm sorry. I just feel protective about you since you're Vent's sister. As Vent's father, and now your legal guardian too, I worry about you! I do my best for Vent, and I want to do so for you. Your 'daddy', he taught you to fight, and he taught you to read, sure. You're a brilliant fighter. But you're an infamous troublemaker to everyone else. He hasn't taught you any of the skills to survive society! How to get along with people, what the laws are and how to obey them, and so on. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it wrong- er, I mean, he's clearly not, ah, doing what he should…"

"Excuse you?!" Aile's temper snapped at this. How dare he say that! Did he think himself better than her own parent? A literal god!? She interrupted his rambling to bluntly remind him, "Between me and Vent, one of us rushed in and nearly got themself and their family slaughtered, while the other pulled said sibling and their parental figure's asses out of the fire!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she hissed imperiously, "So… YOU tell ME who was the better dad. The one who taught his kid, ugh, chivalry, and laws, and other silly things? Or the one who taught his daughter how not to get killed!"

Giro deflated. He sputtered a bit, but it was clear that he was forced to admit defeat there. His eyes slid to the ground and he muttered despondently, "...Ouch. You're right, but… ouch."

Aile felt more than a little bad about how upset and hurt Giro looked. She also didn't want to be too mean to the man because Vent liked him, and the last thing she wanted to do was attack a person who'd given up so much to make sure her brother stayed safe. Sure, he'd been a little incompetent about it, but he'd clearly given it his damndest. With that in mind, she attempted to make amends, "...Look. I'm… sorry. That came out harsh. You're not the best fighter, and that's… well I'm not either, so that's alright. But, uh…" And oh, was this hard to admit, "At least… well. I love my dad, but he… I mean. At least Vent isn't going around hurting people without meaning to." She thought back to how upset Vent had been earlier, when she'd chewed him out for getting himself and Giro hurt outside of Serpent HQ. She thought about all the psychology and self-help books she'd read in fits of boredom, and tried to piece it all together. Giro looked back at her slowly as she continued to stutter, "We all make mistakes. Daddy, he… he's the best dad ever, but even the best dads can fuck up. He's not very good at admitting it either most of the time. Like, neither of us has any sort of tact when it comes to being social. D-don't tell him I told you, but he's an utter putz sometimes. Half the time when I was younger, I'd give him hugs, and he used to just stare at me 'cause he was confused about why I would be holding him like that."

"Sounds… a little silly. Your lack of social skills is earned honestly," Giro smirked. Aile couldn't help but snort, but she'd kind of earned that insult.

"When it comes to Vent, I mean, you probably feel bad about making a mistake, maybe you think you failed as a dad when he got himself hurt, but that's okay. Because I know my dad has done so as well. He's totally fucked up bad a few times. But I love him a lot and I know he's doing his best, like… like you are. And if the best dad ever can mess up, then I think I can let you mess up a bit too, and there's nothing wrong with it. You're both just doing what you can with what you've got."

Gods, she hoped what she was talking about worked. That he understood what she was trying to say. Being friendly was sohard! She didn't know where she'd be right now if she hadn't stolen those self-help books and shit, and even then, she he had no idea if she'd interpreted them right. But admissions and apologies were supposedly a big step in making things better. Admitting that she knew her dad had made mistakes wasn't just to appease Giro's guilt, she told herself. It was also an effort to ally herself with Giro, to act like she was on his side. Him and the rest of the Guardians. It was a colossally bad idea to go making enemies of them, especially when she was starting to realize how important her brother's family and friends were to him.

Giro seemed to realize the efforts she was going through right now, and manned up. "I… you are right. I have to admit that, maybe, I was being a bit too hard on your father." He slumped down a little and cleaned off his glasses, perhaps as a nervous habit. "Admittedly, yes, for all his faults, your father made sure his daughter knew how to fight. To stay safe. And to mess everyone else up royally in the meantime."

That got a rueful grin out of everyone. Even Aile had to giggle, "Yeah, Daddy sure knows how to fight. And he made sure I could, too. B-but seriously," Aile tittered nervously, "DON'T tell Daddy I said any of that. He'd grind me up for it."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Probably literally, heh heh. He knows a couple really good chokeholds." This caused a small giggle in the group. Aile was feeling extremely exhausted once more though, she realized. Her emotions were at their limits. "Uh… is it okay if I leave now? I think I'm done for today. I need to rest, badly." She had a headache and her eyes burned and she couldn't stop shuddering with chills from her time on the deck. It was frustrating to the point of making herself feel sick. She felt like yelling, or ripping something apart. Enough was enough.

Prairie nodded, "Of course. We have a much better understanding of things now. You are dismissed, if you wish."

"Gotcha." Aile turned and headed to the door. But she stopped herself as she was turning to leave, a thoughtful expression on her face. A thoughtful, yet very unhappy expression. "Actually, come to think of it Prairie… there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about first." She glared at the Guardian commander, "When I put two and two together… it's probably your fault that Vent went out on his own today, right?"

Decades of experience had Prairie going pale in an instant. Aile inhaled deeply, her expression turning into a fell glower in an instant. The pink-clad commander had all of two seconds to look aghast at the fate that had been so suddenly thrust upon her before Aile started raging in earnest. Giro and Muguet both winced as the teenager's tirade started to echo around the ship. Giro gave Prairie a sympathetic look, but did nothing to step in as the volume rose. He'd had his turn to be lectured, but now, it was hers. After all, sending out a teenager to do life-threatening work alone? His teenager? Giro had to try very hard not to smirk a little in vindication. He cared for Prairie a lot, of course, and had agreed with her on this course of action. But still. Whether or not Vent was a Mega Man, the Guardian commander was not getting away scot-free for that.

Muguet, of course, just sat down and enjoyed the show. That girl sure knew how to entertain.