Heirot

Soran cast Rai a strange stare as he unconsciously pulled out a chair for Mizuki to sit down. "Spades? You were at a tavern?" he questioned, but betrayed his disciplinary tone when he added, "Were you any good?"

Rai giggled and ran to the makeshift sink to try and wash her hands. She was a bit to short. As she jumped to try and reach it she said, "Don't know... But, it was fun!" she said, grabbing the counter and trying to pull herself up to put her hands in the water.

Mizuki sat down in the chair offered to her and thanked Soran and gave him a pleasant smile. Naoki giggled and helped Rai up to the sink.

"Where's Siren?" Mizuki asked.

"She's at the tailor's... I thought about waiting but I believe she'll be here quite soon." Gwendolyn answered setting a steaming plate on the table. "Did you two have a nice nap?"

Mizuki turned red.

Siten trudged back to Mizuki's house, her stomach growling angrily at her as she went. She could smell people cooking all up and down the street, which wasn't helping. She carried a bag with her, containing her new clothes, which she would put a few finishing touches on tonight before wearing.

Smirking, she wondered if Soran had come across her picture yet.

Before long she was at the door to the house, pushing it open quietly just in case Soran and Mizuki were still sleeping.

Gwendolyn "saw" Siren coming. "See? There she is now! We're all in here Siren!" Gwendolyn chimmed, putting the last steaming pot of soup on the table. Mizuki still couldn't stop herself from turning red.

"Yay!" Siren tossed her bag into an empty chair and skipped into the room, trying not to salavate.

"Anything I can help with?" she asked, even though she saw that pretty much everything had been taken care of.

Rai giggled, washing her hands and then thanking Naoki. She ran to her chair and climbed into it, her wet hands slinging water in different directions. "Mmmm! Something smells good!" Her stomach began to growl very loudly.

Gwendolyn laughed merrily as she took her own seat. The table was heavily ladened with pots and dishes of potatoes and stew and all sorts of things since Naoki and Gwendolyn had that time on their hands. When everyone was seated Gwendolyn began to serve everyone.


OOC: Wow...I'm actually kinda dizzy right now... sorry...

Five days later, the entire group stood packed and healthy in front of Gwendolyn's house. Soran was somewhat off to the side, saddling up the three horses they were to ride back toward Hepian - one palomino gelding and two chestnut mares.

The last few days had been the most calm and peaceful the group had seen in months, and so it was a rather nostalgic mood as they calmly prepared for their departure.

In the back of Soran's mind, though, it was bothering him - something he'd been told by a drunken traveler who had struck up (or rather imposed) a conversation with him at the tavern a few nights ago. The man had been almost too drunk for coherence, but among his babble he'd said something odd.

"Tra'llin to Hepian, eh? Washe'er yer reason ish, yer best 'ead somewhere else - the place is amock, I'll tell ye that. Amock!"

Although Soran had tried to get the man to explain the meaning of what he'd said, the most he could get out of him was something about "Some troublemakers ashkin aroun' for some chap no one kin find, causin' all mann'r o' disturbansh! Really, yer all ought ta head off some'ere elsh. Amock!"

After that, the drunk's discourse had devolved into mindless drunken jabber, and an insistence that Soran purchase him a drink. It was probably all a rumor or exaggeration at best, but as one who had been unofficially responsible for peacekeeping in that part of town, the rogue couldn't help putting some thought to the drunk's words.

"The horses are ready," he said, returning to the rest of the group.

Rai giggled and ran around inside with Toby. "Wow! We're leaving! Siren where leaving!!" she said and grabbed her little bag and put it over her shoulder. "Come on! I want to ride the pretty black one!"

Rai jumped up and down like she had had way to many sweets that morning.

Siren left the building with Rai, stretching her wings once she was outside. The swelling had faded away and she was back in action.

She looked at the horses in adoration. She didn't ride very well, since it was awkward with her wings, but had experienced some thrills with riding them.

For now, though, she crouched, sprang into the air with a gusty flap of her wings and spiraled upward, spreading them as she lost momentum and testing them to make sure they hadn't weakened from dissuse. She was pleased, and slowly parachuted herself back down tot he ground.

Naoki was holding back tears and Mizuki had Blade in a sling on her back. He babbled his new words he had learned over the last few days with his pride. Mizuki was still clinging to her mother who was, surprisingly not crying at all.

"It's in your future to travel, I feel no morse for letting you go." Gwen said calmly, patting her daughter's shoulder's one final time.

"I'll miss you so much though. You and Naoki!" Mizuki said around small tears. She let go of her mother and embraced Naoki who, disspite trying to hold it in, brust out the moment they touched.

"D-Darnit... " Naoki blurted then shoved Mizuki away from her, in a friendly way. She attempted to smile but her eyes were red with tears. "Now get on that horse and start your life on the road!" Mizuki smiled and kissed Naoki's cheek then backed away. "Take care them all Soran!"

Gwen. and Naoki had exchanged huggs with the Dark Angel and Rai before, but Naoki and Gwen. still squeezed Rai for Siren had already taken to the sky.

"Be good." they both said to Rai. Mizuki turned to the horses and mounted one of the chestnuts. Once she was one she checked to make sure Blade was still secure with her.

"I promise to keep on visiting!" she called to them, waving.

Siren went and stood near Soran and his mount, stroking the muzzle of the other chestnut mare.

"So, where exactly are we heading again?" She asked, wondering just how far they would go. She hadn't really traveled much, so her mental map of the world was rather vague.

She didn't go over to say goodbyes to Mizuki's family again. One parting was more than enough for her tastes.

Mizuki rode manuvered her mount next to the rouge's. "I think we're off to Hepian first, correct Soran?" Mizuki said, recalling what they had talked about days ago at the stream. They already started down their path now out of the village. The horses were only walking since there wasn't much of a rush. Blade cooed on Mizuki's back.

Naoki and Gwendolyn watched the group until they dissapeared from their vision and they went back inside, Naoki wiping tears from her face. Now it was time to move on and live without that group. Their life wouldn't be as exciting as it was when they were around but Gwendolyn was happy with the time she had gotten with her daughter. There would be other visits... but not for a long, long time.

Soran mounted the palomino and looked speculatively at the house they had been staying in for that last few weeks and the people who had stayed there, but despite half-attempts to the contrary, he could not seem to develop any sense of security or nostalgia in leaving that would indicate he had come to think of this place as a home. His memory held no evidence of a birth city or a town where he might have spent his childhood. Hepian, which was the only place he could conceive of returning to, and where he felt some sense of obligation to maintain order, nonetheless also inspired no particular sense of belonging that would define it as his 'home'. If there was any sense of belonging somewhere for him, it was the one that led him to so willingly accept the company of Mizuki, Rai, and Siren. This briefly occurred to him as he leaned down in the saddle and reached a strong arm out toward Rai to lift her up onto the horse. "Riding with me?" he asked her casually.