All 30.1 - Adopting Daughters

Everyone sat on the backs of the giant horseshoe crabs as they jetted along the seafloor, the magic spells emblazoned on their shells providing air. Victor sat quietly, obviously trying to collect his thoughts, while Lucca pet his chubby, contented cat. Most everyone else was looking towards Cohen as went through each of their strange items that they had received from the fey known as the Whale Mage; since Pierce had stayed behind, the doctor was the only one left qualified to comment on magical properties. Cress had been trying to converse with his crab again, and was disappointed when this one didn't seem to be able to speak. "Man..." he intoned, "I wonder if these are different crabs? How come only one could speak?"
"Maybe because I'm a little busy now!" Cohen replied.
"What does that have to do with..." Cress asked, but trailed off as he gathered the meaning. "...Dick!"
"Yes, that's been established," Cohen said dryly. "Alright, from what I can gather, your bracelet locks shapeshifting. If you're wearing it, you're basically immune to polymorph effects," he explained to Cress, who looked confused. After a minute, he added, "...It means you likely won't be affected by the werewolf curse unless you choose to be and take off the bracelet."
"Sick!" Cress brightened up.
"Your bracelet," he turned to Ryuji, "I believe, increases your resistance to divinely channelled energy. It will make it more difficult for clerics, or people like our dear 'friend' the necromancer, to hurt or control you with their positive or negative energy." Ryuji considered this gravely, and nodded his head.
"This hammer will just literally grant the wielder the skill to build things. The house will turn into an actual house if you put it somewhere large and flat enough, and activate it by hitting this button," he told Terragon. "Apparently, you have a desire to make homes, or something?" [insert terragon response]
"The stone is a moon pearl, but the enchantment is a powerful water-breathing spell. I think it's like the enchantments on the crabs here; it makes a little dome of breathability? It's of little consequence, if we're remaking it into a stabilizer." [insert clover response]
"And I think my pen is just enchanted to let me write significantly faster. I suppose its usefulness is in copying text?" he said, looking at the pen with mild disappointment. "Not entirely sure what good it is, but the cake it came in was good at least. It was non-magical, as is your interesting replacement shirt," he said to Cress, who made a small frown at the news, then shrugged and nodded. The doctor turned over to Lucca, "And I think your cat is just a cat."
"Is not." The druid shot back with a slight crooked smile, ruffling the creature's fur. "He's a quality cat, not 'just a cat'. Lookit him. Look how fat and happy he is." The cat purred contentedly from where he sat on the crab nearby, his legs tucked in under his body and his tail curled up around his side.
"Yes. A marvelous cat. Anyways, this now brings us to the question of two small children that are missing their mother, whose father has little business keeping them, and who have decent odds of turning into seals when they reach puberty," Cohen said, stashing his pen back in his pocket. "That is, if we can stop the All from destroying everything before that point. The floor is open for ideas."
"Mmmh, it's really two questions we're dealing with, rather than one." Lucca replied, the swiftness of his response belying the place the issue had been holding in his mind. "There's the long term and the short term we've gotta think of. Frankly, the question of what to do with them in the long term is less urgent, and it deserves their own input; so it can wait a bit. What to do with them now is the much more pressing question; we can't go dragging them across the countryside with us while we fight the All, no way. It would be neither safe, nor fair to them. My thinking is it'd probably be best to take them to Engiadina and have them stay with Cheko and Caitlyn until we get this business sorted out, then figure out a more permanent solution from there. It's not ideal, but it's been the best I could come up with so far..."
Victor frowned slightly, "That would be horribly jarring. They can't speak Dionisian, it's very different from the town they're used to, and no one looks like them. I can't imagine they have much experience with foreigners." He frowned deeper and looked away, "They are, from their perspective, utterly and terrifyingly alone. To foist them elsewhere seems cruel. But you are right, dragging them along is little better, especially with the threat of the All."
"If their faces were any indication, they are probably at their wit's end," Cohen said dryly. "I'm also going to go out on a limb, and guess that they have no love lost for strangers, and men in general. Violent drunkards don't keep kind company, and they're old enough to know it."
"Caitlyn will be good to them, and Cheko too," Ryuji said. "And Shintaro is about their age, and looks familiar. Engiadina is probably the best place."
Clover interjected, "I agree. Adventuring is no place for children, especially when the stakes are as deadly as they are here and now. They'll be safe in Engiadina, at least until the All are dealt with."
Victor made a 'hrmn' noise; Lucca glimpsed the end of Victor's tail flick slightly in agitation, before the man noticed and held it stiffly and tightly against his waist once more. He rubbed at his temples, still obviously suffering from a headache.
"I agree with you, it's far from ideal in a lot of ways...downright shitty in some...I wish we could do something else, something better...but what other reasonable option do we have?" Lucca's eyes flicked over to Victor as he spoke up again. Looking away, he continued more quietly, "I mean, if it were possible, I'd love nothing more than to say 'hey, let's take a break and get them settled somewhere' and all that. But that's just not a luxury we have, especially with the All actively hunting our asses now. I don't know what else we could possibly do."
"We'll wait until we get to land," Victor stated. "See if we can explain it to them in some way. It's not as though we can teleport them anywhere without Pierce or Gemini, so we need their input. Call Caitlyn, get her opinion, though I can't imagine anyone remotely sympathetic refusing the request."
Ryuji nodded, then tried to use his ring to talk to his wife. After a few moments, he replied, "It's not working. I guess...we're still in Etheria? Maybe? I'll try again when we're on shore." Everyone agreed, and returned to their own devices.
Victor hunched over some, curling around himself for a moment, before straightening again and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This earned a quizzical look from his fellow passenger. They rode in silence for a while, before Victor said quietly to Lucca, "I'm sorry. I've...been acting oddly lately, haven't I? I've been...too forward."
"Oh you shut up, old man.You don't get to apologize for shit that doesn't warrant it." The druid's tone was gently scolding, and he gave him a small, crooked smile, "It's all cool. Don't be sorry. You have been acting a bit different, but it's no big thing; I'd've said something if it was bothering me."
Victor looked at him wistfully, and he replied, "I don't have all of my memories...but...something makes me wonder, if you would." He curled himself up again, "I'm sorry...It's...harder to go from nothing to something, than the other way, it seems..." He looked away, "Being nothing...is simple...being someone...all at once..." he rubbed his head again, "I remember...being a tiefling...and hating it. Hating being a partial thing...now I am pieces of pieces and I wonder what it feels like to be whole. To have a life that is not an empty notebook or a scattering of misplaced pages, but something in order, with a beginning and a story that makes sense. To have a body that is mine and not being made continually foreign. I'm...I'm rambling. I'm tired. I complain when I shouldn't. I am sorry. There are far bigger concerns than mine, than this. I am empowered. We will defeat the All. And we will find a home for those children, wherever that needs to be."
"Don't be sorry." Lucca admonished earnestly once more. He scooted closer, until he was next to Victor and leaned against him comfortingly, continuing. "Today has been a lot, especially in your case. Getting the power and memories beaten back into you by a tiny whale dude didn't look like a remotely good time. Having it back will take some getting used to. It'll get better though....some rest, some time, you'll feel better." He rested his head against the older man's shoulder and added quietly, "We'll get your story put back in order...it'll just take some time, but it'll make sense again one day. Once we get these stupid fucking All dealt with, we'll get everything else back in order and it'll be good again." He fell silent for a few beats, then murmered, "And I would have said something, even if you don't think so. I wasn't bothered."
Closing his eyes, Victor exhaled slowly, "Yes. Things will improve." He repeated himself, voice lower the second time. He then added, very quietly, "I have been...unreliable...and I do not forgive myself lightly..."
"Don't be like that, it's not fair." Lucca looked up at him, frowning slightly.
He considered that for a while. Eventually, he said, "No, it is not. You shouldn't...we shouldn't, have to suffer my unreasonable nature." He looked back to Lucca again. Pushing back a piece of the druid's hair, he said, "I must be a terribly frustrating person to have feelings towards: unable to be consistent, and depressing besides."
"You know damn well that wasnt what I meant...at all," He shook his head slightly, continuing, "You're projecting things onto me; I don't think any of that. You make it sound like what I feel for you is some sort of chore, or some terrible penance or something. It isn't." He looked up at Victor once again, his expression softly earnest. "It's the farthest thing from it."
Victor gave an odd smile, small and somewhere between self-depreciating and grateful. "I know." He leaned over and touched him with his forehead, "I know." Lucca simply offered a faint smile in return and reached up to lightly stroke his cheek. Victor lay back, sprawling on the shell of the crab, "I...need to sleep. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes, and rubbed his head once more, "Wake me if something occurs."
"I will, no worries." Lucca replied as he reached over to gather his cat into his lap, glancing back to Victor as he added, "Rest well, you deserve it." Victor appeared to fall into a restless sleep; he rolled over, and dreams seemed to trouble his unconscious mind. Lucca kept watch over him as he slept, a look of sympathetic concern tinging his expression. After a time he began to gently stroke Victor's white hair, being careful not to wake him.  As he did, he noticed something move in Victor's jacket. A small, pastel-blue bunny creature wormed its way out of Victor's pocket, made a small coughing sound that was more akin to a squeak, and hopped up to nuzzle into the nape of Victor's neck, making contented peeping sounds as it did.
Turning his gaze out to the blue depths it wasnt long before Lucca's mind fell to solemn contemplation, thoughts returning once more to the children that had so recently found themselves in their care, and to the array of thoughts and feelings the development had stirred within him.
----
The crabs made their way onto shore eventually, depositing their riders on the sandy, nighttime beach before returning to the ocean's depths. They weren't where they had set off from though; a brief scout from Ryuji confirmed that they were several miles north of where they had left Pierce, Gemini and the children. With nothing else for it, they began to walk down the shore. Ryuji walked a ways apart, talking to his wife now that they were on the same plane again. After a while, he rejoined them. "Well, Caitlyn thinks that taking them somewhere completely foreign, where they can't speak the language, is a bad idea. She's right, and I think we all agree with that, at least some. So...she suggested taking them to a local orphanage. At least they'll be able to know what's going on, and talk to people. I'm...not sure how I feel about it, but, she does make a point..."
Lucca bristled at Ryuji's words, and although he said nothing, opting instead to listen to what the others had to say his body language made his thoughts on the matter unquestionably clear.
Cohen frowned, "Ugh. Then apparently you haven't seen orphanages. I wouldn't put a child in one, at least not in Asanon. It's no mercy."
Clover quirked an eyebrow, "Well, I don't know what they are like in your country, but in Arroyito, lost children are given to the church. And that's not a bad idea, honestly. They'd be well-taken care of, given food, guidance and shelter, and they'd be safe at least."
"They're still run by the church here?" Ryuji questioned. Clover nodded, which brightened his demeanour significantly. "Well, that's good then. I spent years living in the church, and it was a good place. Since it's the same faith here, I'm sure it wouldn't be too different. It seems like a reasonable idea."
"We can visit, make sure that they're being treated well, and if they aren't, then we can figure out something else," Clover said. 
Rolling his eyes, Cohen muttered something that no one could quite hear. Victor frowned as well, and his body language suggested that he also wasn't quite in full agreeance. Lucca turned towards the doctor, "What?" Cohen glanced over in askance. "What did you say?"
Cohen snorted, and said towards Lucca, not in a voice that anyone else could hear, "I had a cousin, in an orphanage. Asonian orphanages are cesspools. I don't know what Arroyito is like, but humanity everywhere treats institutionalized individuals as less than people. Orphanages, sanitoriums, convalescent hospitals, jails...I am intimately familiar with them all, and I don't wish them on anyone. I loathe communal living, in all of its forms." He sighed, "But I am not qualified to adopt children. I can't very well argue knowing I have no solution and can't take them myself."
Lucca nodded slightly, his expression dark as he considered this for a few moments before saying to the group. "I think that is a bullshit idea." His tone was harsh, almost disdainful as he continued, "It's a fucking lame-ass cop-out, in my opinion, for one, and for two, how is it really any better? I mean, come on. The poor kids are gonna be stuck with strangers one way or another; but we at least were the ones entrusted with their care by their own mother. They have to know that, they were there. And we agreed to look after them, which I'm sure they know as well. For us to turn around and dump them in a fucking orphanage after that? Not to mention after what Lorelai did for us? That's fucking pathetic. It's like a betrayal. And to just go and say 'Oh, we'll pop in to check on them?' Yeah, right. We're running across the globe, fighting extraplanar invaders, we can't exactly be darting back all the time, or vetting the entire staff." He gave a frustrated sigh, his words becoming more impassioned as he went on. Gesturing agitatedly, he continued, "What I'm saying is, we can't ensure they'll be in trustworthy hands, and they seriously don't deserve that sorta shit, especially after all they've dealt with already." Scowling, he shook his head, "And before one of you starts with the 'Oh but it's the church' shit, I've heard enough about your church to know that it isn't the sorta place I'd like to leave a couple of part-fey kids. Not a chance; that doesn't make it any better. At least in Engiadina they'd be with friends of ours, people we know we can trust. And that is something we can explain to them beforehand, what with all the language magic we're packing. And yeah, it sucks that they don't know the culture and language, it'll be tough on them. But I mean, fuck! I can send my helmet with them, and then they'll be able to understand people, and they'll pick Dionisian up like that!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis, "Or even Mirin! Which would frankly be more useful in the long run, I would think. It'd certainly be less jarring then tossing them in a fucking stockyard for unclaimed children, only to come yank them back out later and have to teach them the goddamn language and shit anyway."
"I'm not saying it's a perfect idea," Ryuji defended. "And..." he stopped himself, frowned, and sighed. "...Ok. Fine. No, I don't appreciate you slandering the church. It's not a stockyard, I lived there when I was about their age, it was perfectly fine. But..." he huffed, "I'm not going to defend it against its opinion on...marginalized groups. I don't know. We don't even know what they are, they could be perfectly normal humans. But...I don't know, you're right. I don't want to dishonour our duty to make sure they're safe, I want them to be alright, but I honestly think that the church is a safe, reasonable place for them, at least for now. ...I guess. We'd have to investigate it a bit first."
"Why would learning Mirin be useful at all?" Clover asked, an eyebrow raised, "And why would we 'yank them out', if they were in reasonable care there? The church will raise them until they are old enough to live alone, if they aren't adopted, and they will make sure they have the means to make a living, whether it's with the church or army or through education. I don't know what the differences are between Arroyito's church and Yeto's, but here we have no quarrel with the spirits, or their earthly kin. It's their best chance of being in a safe, nurturing environment, assuredly safer than they were with their father." 
Lucca briefly levelled Clover with a look that accused her of utter idiocy. Rather than answer her question, however, he turned away, shaking his head disgustedly, "I can't fucking do this right now. If you guys are all gung-ho, think you've got it all figured out, who the fuck am I to say otherwise. Fuck it. Fuck you." He scrubbed his hands across his face. Shaking his head once more, he quickened his pace slightly, aiming to put some distance between them. "Fuck the lot of you."
The group watched Lucca storm off, particularly Victor. The group was quiet for a few minutes, until Lucca was out of earshot, before Victor said, "He...is very poor, at saying what he wants." This was a statement to no one, possibly to himself more than anyone. Everyone was quiet for a while longer, before Victor stated, "I will take them. Ryuji, ask your wife if she can watch them until this is over. Yes, it will be a culture shock, but she is trustworthy and can teach them Mirin. I can learn Akroum, as can Lucca, and Virgil as well. There is nothing about this that is simple, and what is best I do not know. But...this is not the first time a fey has presented me with children who need care, and to leave them with an orphanage, alone, when I took Virgil, seems cruel. It seems wrong, to deny them the duty I afforded the child who came before them. I can't say if I'm the best choice, or if that is what they will want, but...I offer my care, for what it is worth. If Caitlyn can watch them until the All are dealt with, then that is fine, and we will decide then where and how to live, so as to be the best for them, and Virgil, and the rest of us." He paused slightly, and added, "...She should watch Virgil as well, if that is not too much of a burden upon her. The stakes have increased, and are beyond even my comfort for his safety. We are hunted, and he shouldn't be here any longer. I lost my ability to protect him once, and the All will fight ever harder as we lock them out. He should be somewhere safer, until this is over. If it is any comfort though, we are approaching the end. We have a path and a plan, and the execution is all that remains. This will be decided, for better or worse, before the year's end. If we, and the world, survives, then I will gladly take responsibility for the children."
"I...I can ask her, sure," Ryuji said, a little unsure at first. He walked away slightly once more to speak to Caitlyn privately. When he returned, he nodded, "Yes. She still doesn't think it's a good idea, but her and Cheko can watch them all for this last bit." Victor nodded, and the discussion was over.
Sighing, Victor increased his pace, "I had best tell Lucca, before we get there, so he won't give them the wrong impression."
----
Lucca heard someone stepping lightly over the sandy clumps of grass behind him, catching up. He turned his head slightly, and recognized it as Victor. He had slowed his pace as soon as he had put a decent amount of distance between himself and the others, and now came to a stop as he waited for the other man to catch up.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly after a few silent moments, his gaze fixed firmly on the sand at his feet.
Victor cocked his head, "For what?"
Lucca's eyes flicked up to him with  a look of slight confusion. "For...that..." He gestured vaguely back in the direction of the way they had come. "...it was kinda uncalled for, I guess..."
"Yes, it likely was. Perhaps you should apologize." Victor regarded him for a moment, thoughtfully, and said, "Have I told you, that you should say things aloud? My memories are incomplete, and in disarray, but I feel like I may have brought this up before. Not everyone is good at guessing from moods and partial sentences...and you sometimes make yourself guess too, don't you?"
At this an almost pained look flitted across the younger man's face, and he dropped his gaze once more. "I dunno, I'm sure you have at some point... I don't remember off-hand..." Pursing his lips, Lucca turned his gaze out toward the sea, and after a moment added quietly, "I wasnt trying to make anyone guess anything. I was just trying to get my point across about what we should do...and how shitty their idea is. But it's all muddled up with a lot of other shit that I don't wanna say aloud to them though, that I don't think I even fully have words for, so I guess I was doing a particularily shit job of it. And then they pissed me off, which didn't help," he finished with a slight shrug.
Victor regarded him inscrutably for a moment. Eventually, he said quietly, "I'm sorry." He turned and looked out to the water as well. "I'm sorry for forgetting everything. For being a terrible mess. I remember enough to know I'm acting oddly, to feel like everything I'm saying is wrong, but not enough to know better. It's frustrating, and it must be frustrating, and I wish I could be whole, and I worry how much of your patience I must try. I worry that...I'm wrong, that I hurt or aggrivate you, and you'll get sick of trying to piece back together someone so broken and confused. I have a jumbled, chaotic mess of half-formed memories, and they make so little sense. But almost everything I remember is of you. You, and Virgil. Both of you are everything, literally everything, to me." His voice dropped very low, "I remember just enough...to worry that I'm not good enough...and my ruined condition will drive you away." 
"Don't you dare!" Lucca growled with startling vehemence, closing the distance between them in a flash. Pulling Victor's head down to his level, he stared hard into his eyes and repeated, a faint quaver entering his voice, "Don't you fucking dare, Victor! Stop that! You don't get to apologize for that sorta shit, for things that aren't your fault, that aren't in your control and especially not for things that aren't true. You aren't fucking broken! You're not. A little mixed up right now, maybe, but you can't help that! And it's not your fault! Nor are you wrong! Some of your words and actions are different, yeah, but they're not wrong. And I'm not frustrated or aggravated with you, at all. I'm just...scared..." The quaver in his voice had been growing as he went on, and as he continued his voice dropped to a shaky whisper, "I am not going anywhere, old man, ever...I promised you forever more times than I can remember and I fucking well meant it every time, and I still do, with my whole being. You are not ruined, not any less than you ever were. You're still you, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me, you and Virgil too; you're everything to me as well...and...and the only way I'll ever leave is if you tell me to...if you want me gone...and..." As he said this he broke off his gaze, his eyes dropping to the sand at their feet once more. He swallowed hard and whispered, "...and I've been so scared that you will...that you'll get sick of my shit...and without being able to remember why the hell you kept me around in the first place..." He trailed off, closing his eyes tightly and let go of Victor's head. After a moment he moved almost tentatively to wrap him in a gentle hug.
Victor returned the embrace with a vehement strength. "How could I?" he asked quietly as he hugged him. "How could I possibly turn you away? When you're everything? When you care enough about a crazed old man who can't even remember you properly to stay by him? How could I ever get sick of you, and your passion and devotion that I can already see, when I can only remember a half-week clearly?" He held him even closer, "I will never turn you away. As long as you are mine, I will never leave you." As he spoke, Lucca simply hugged him tighter, clinging to the other man as if he was afraid he would disappear. He buried his face against his chest, curling his fingers into the fabric of his jacket. Victor continued, "You are mine. You and Virgil are my family. We are a family. And I just told everyone that I would take responsibility for two little girls, so I will need your's and Virgil's help. Because they deserve a family as well, and as much as I will try and give them that, I barely have a grasp on my own affairs. So I hope that you can give them the same support and care as you grant to Virgil and myself."
Lucca's head snapped up, and he stared at him searchingly, with a look of wide-eyed disbelief. His lips moved soundlessly, and It was a long few seconds before he managed to speak. "You...you did what? Victor...I...of course I can...I will...absolutely...I just..." He blinked a couple times, searching for words, "...are you sure?"
"How could I refuse to care for two young children who were left before me by the fey, when I took on the first? I can't be so callous as to shun them, when I clearly accepted Virgil." He grinned slightly, "Though I would appreciate if the forces of Etheria could stop for a while. Three children is a bit much, and I'm not sure what I'll do if the fey continue leaving helpless kids in my path that I will adopt." He squeezed Lucca, "How could I leave them, when we would both know they deserved better, that we left them alone when there's nothing stopping us from letting them join our family?"
Lucca stared at him for a few moments more, his eyes beginning to glisten slightly and a grateful smile slowly spreading across his face. Closing his eyes once more, he wordlessly redoubled his embrace, hugging Victor with enough force to hinder his breathing for a moment. After a little bit he murmered softly, "...Thank you..."
Lightly stroking Lucca's back, Victor replied, "I have done nothing more that requires thanks than you have. So thank you as well."
"Nonsense..." Lucca muttered with a slight shake of his head. He remained how he stood for a few moments, before speaking up, a tinge of anxiety in his voice, "What are we going to do with them for now, though? They still can't come with us right now...Will they take them in Engiadina? Please tell me they're going to...?"
Victor nodded, "They will. Caitlyn and Cheko will watch both girls, and Virgil as well. Now that we are targets, now that the offensive has begun, it has become much too dangerous for children, Virgil included. The risk is too great for even me to tolerate, and it is now assuredly safer for him in the city. I do not want to leave him, but, it is better for both of us, in this situation. He might argue...but he will have a job as well. If he stays with the girls, he can help acclimatize them. He will have to be our spokesman, in a fashion, until we finish this and can return and all be together. Hopefully, he can be their friend, help them settle and feel connected, and will put them at ease with us and Engiadina and all of the tumult that cannot be avoided." 
"Oh thank the spirits..." Lucca said, looking relieved. With a slightly sad nod, he added, "Yeah...I wont be suprised if Virgil puts up a fuss, but...it really is for the best. He needs to be somewhere safe. And you make a good point: he probably will be a good ambassador. It'll be good for him as well as the girls; might keep him from getting too upset about having to go." He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What are we gonna do now? Like, telling them all about it?"
With a muted grin, Victor interjected, "That's why I ran to catch up with you."
"You should talk to Virgil; you're better at this sorta thing. I can talk to the girls," Lucca offered. Victor nodded in agreement.
They stood silently for a minute, then Victor grinned slightly, "...Honestly? You honestly believed that I'd leave you? What would I even do with myself? Wander around lost and confused?...I think I'd just end up sitting in a small room and staring at the walls, wondering what I was supposed to do with myself. I vaguely recall doing that before."
Lucca just regarded him for a moment, his expression holding a faint mixture of remorse and reproach, before looking away towards the waves again. Eventually he murmered, "I don't know. I guess I didn't think you would...but I was scared you might."
Victor gave a muted smile again, hugging Lucca tighter and burying his nose in the shorter man's hair. "You shouldn't be." Lucca simply nuzzled against him a little and a gave soft, almost relieved sigh.
After a few moments longer of standing like this he looked up at Victor with a slight smile, "We should get going...we've got some important conversations to have, now."
Victor gave a mock sigh and pulled away, "You're right. That, and everyone has caught up," he said, pointing to the group that was rapidly closing the gap between them. "Unfortunate. This was somewhat nicer than the mermaids. They use a bit too much biting for my tastes."
----
When the group caught up to Pierce, Gemini and the kids, they found them waiting not far from where they had originally seperated. A large tent had been erected in the dunes, and the half of Gemini that had taken a male Materian appearance was standing outside. He greeted them, "You didn't take long. The time difference must have been good to you. We didn't know how long you'd be; it might have been years. Silly to wait there standing. But the half-soul didn't want to leave, so we put up a shelter."
"Um. Why is there only one of you?" Cress ventured haltingly.
Gemini turned and looked towards the tent flap, "Two-thirds of the tiny somewhat-fey seem to markedly prefer my other half, so I was waiting here to watch."
"Watch for what?" Cress continued.
The fey was non-plussed as he replied, "All. Stars. Thieves. Weather. Rhinos. You. I wasn't being particular. Are you particular when you watch for things?"
Cress considered that, then shrugged in consent. 
"We shouldn't all go in, if that's going to disturb them," Cohen said. "You, you, you," he pointed at Cress, Ryuji, and Terragon. "We'll wait out here, and set up the rest of a camp. You two go in," he waved Victor and Lucca forwards. "And it's up to you," he said to Clover, "Maybe they'll appreciate another woman."
"What about me?" Gemini asked.
"You...do whatever," Cohen rolled his eyes. "Continue watching, if you like." He muttered to himself as he walked away, "Not even pretending to give orders to a fey."
Clover gestured to the other two, "You go on ahead. If you're adopting them, you should try and earn their trust. Call if you need help though." Victor and Lucca nodded, and entered the tent. Inside, Pierce was kneeling on the ground, while the female half of Gemini stood close by. The two girls were hanging about her skirt, but they were both playing with a variety of small animals, along with Virgil, who seemed to be chatting animatedly. As the two entered, the girls shied back once more towards Gemini, who continued to stand with an aloof inquisatorial expression, regarding their reactions.
"They seem to think I'm a comfort, for whatever reason," she said to them.
"You're back!" Virgil said as he hopped up, a blackbird sitting on his shoulder. "An' your hair's all white again! That mean you got your power back?"
Victor smiled, "Yes. Among other things."
Virgil ran forwards and hugged his father around the waist. As he did, he blinked a few times, looked past his father's coat, and gestured for him to lean down. "You gotsa tail again too?" Rolling his eyes, Victor nodded his head. Virgil considered this, "But...nothin' else, right? It's not all fallin' apart again is it?"
"It's not falling apart, it was done properly this time. I got my power to fight the All, a tail, and some of my memory. But before you get excited!" the man cut him off as the child's eyes grew wide, "It's not all of it, I think. Everything is very jumbled, and I have a terrible headache, and a tiny whale man hit me repeatedly with a stick. So, please, don't get too excited until I've had some sleep and can figure out my thoughts. Then we can figure out what I do and don't remember, and what order everything happened in, alright?" Virgil nodded his head dutifully. "Thank you. Until then, we have some very important things to talk about." Victor gestured for him to follow over to another part of the tent. "You have a very nice bird."
"Mr. Webber called it! We've been playin' with animals, 'cause Nuan an' Xue are kinda scared, an' everyone likes animals."
"Indeed." 
As the two Erzebets retreated, Lucca turned and requested a casting of Tongues from Pierce before turning his attentions towards the two girls. They hid behind Gemini's skirt, looking at him timidly. Approaching, he stopped a few feet away and dropped into an easy crouch, offering a friendly smile. "Hello." He waited a moment to see if they'd respond before continuing, "My name's Lucca, what're yours?"
The two looked at him for a while, before the younger one offered, "Xue." When the other didn't reply, she gave her a nudge and looked up at her.
The elder girl looked at the floor, "...I'm Nuan..."
"It's very nice to meet you, Xue and Nuan," He smiled once more, nodding to each of them in turn. Settling himself to sit crosslegged, he moved his cat from his shoulder down to his lap and added, "You both have very pretty names. Did you have fun with Virgil?" Nuan continued to look at the floor; she held a large lop-eared rabbit in her arms, and she hugged it protectively. Xue looked around, from her sister to Gemini to the myriad of small animals that poked about, and eventually nodded her head towards Lucca.
"That's good, I'm glad." His eyes flicked about, taking in the array of creatures cavorting around the girls and after a moment, he said, "There're lots of cute animals here. Is that bunny your favorite, Nuan?" After a pause, she nodded her head. "Does he have a name?"
At this question, she shook her head. She said, very quietly, "It's gonna disappear...'cause it's magic...and not real..."
"I saw you this morning," Xue said, interrupting and changing the subject.
Lucca had opened his mouth to say something more to Nuan when her sister cut him off. With a soft smile he turned his attention to the younger girl and nodded, "Yes, I saw you too, peeking through the crack. I'm sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to." As he spoke, he mimicked the wave he had given that morning to clarify his meaning. 
Xue nodded a little. "Mommy was really sad after you left. Then Daddy came home an' was really mad." She looked over at her sister, "When's she comin' back?" Nuan frowned, and hugged the bunny harder, staring into the middle distance.
Lucca pursed his lips slightly for a few seconds, waiting to see if the older girl would answer her sister before taking a deep breath and offering gently, "Your mom had to go very, very far away, hun, back to her old home...and she's gotta stay there now, because she's got a really important job to do. She won't be able to come back...I'm sorry. You might be able to go see her again though, one day, when you're older. Until then, she's asked us to take care of you; I promised her that we would."
Xue considered this, a look of sadness and loss on her face. She whispered up at Nuan, "...Daddy is gonna be really mad..."
Nuan turned back to Lucca. "What's so important?" she asked, tone angry and hurt. "How come you're more important than us? You came, and then Mom left. And...and, she's not coming back... " Nuan was about to cry, and it was bringing her sister to tears as well.
"I am really very, very sorry. We didn't know she would have to go away for good when we came; we didn't mean for it to happen..." Lucca said with a deeply pained expression, his tone one of genuine remorse. As he spoke, his hands flitted about momentarily before settling in his cat's fur, stroking it anxiously. He paused briefly and took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully before continuing, "We are not more important than you are, not at all...nobody is. There is something very bad happening right now...there are monsters from far away that have come here and are trying to wreck the world. They've hurt lots of people, and they'd like to hurt everyone, if they could. But my friends and I, we wont let them. We've been working very hard to stop them...But we needed your mom's help to do it; there was something we couldn't do on our own, she was the only one that could help...so she did, to keep everyone in the world safe, and especially you two."
"Is he telling lies?" Gemini's male voice called from outside.
"Hey! I am not-!" Lucca shot back indignantly, only to be talked over as the fey answered itself.
"Not entirely!" Gemini's female voice replied, shouting to be heard. "I think he's skewed her motives somewhat! But I don't think he's lying in the strictest sense!"
"That's good! Lying is awful!" he called.
"It honestly is!"
As Gemini had this conversation, Pierce rubbed his eyes and whispered to Lucca, "They've been shouting back and forth like this since I asked half of them to stand outside, but at least it became more sporadic. They were downright insufferable together, and he was making them even more uncomfortable, since he doesn't know enough to try and be unobtrusive. They're shy around men, for good reason. Anyways, they know Gemini's not human; they were...up-front about that. And, like Clover, they've been brought up on stories of spirits being special and great things. So..." he shrugged a bit, "when they aren't being overwhelmingly confusing, they are helping."
Lucca grunted in acknowledgement, still scowling slightly towards Gemini. After a moment, he shot back, his voice low, "Well, I suppose that's something to be thankful for, at least."
Nuan and Xue looked up at Gemini. "What...?" Nuan started.
Gemini explained, matter-of-factly, "You know stories of spirits...That's a thing these people do, correct?" she shouted the question to her partner.
"If I'm not mistaken!"
"Spirits come from another world that is sort of..."
"But not quite at all!" he chimed in, interrupting her.
"...Like yours," she continued without missing a beat. "And we get terribly sick staying in your world for very long."
"Awfully sick! Like going for weeks without food, losing your sight and having a broken heart at the same time!" the voice from outside confirmed.
She nodded factually at the statement. "The only spirits who can visit are the sorts that can make a body."
Xue chimed in, "Like you said you did!"
"Correct!" Gemini said from outside.
The female half pointed at the mask on Lucca's belt, "He is also a spirit, but he can't make a human or animal body. He has to hide in a mask. But he's still very much there, and can hear you, and talk to you if you hold him." The girls looked incredulously at the somewhat smug-looking mask that hung lifelessly. "Your mother was also a spirit." This caught both of their attentions back again. 
"Nuh uh!!" Xue said defiantly. 
Gemini replied imperiously, "She certainly was. She was a water spirit. A very important water spirit who serves a very, very, very important water spirit."
Their other half added from outside, "The most important water spirit!"
"She could make a body. But your father stole her magic and trapped her in the body she made. She couldn't go back to the spirit world to help the most important water spirit do his most important water duties."
"He makes the oceans, you know!"
"And everyone knows, everything comes from the oceans."
"He's very important!"
"Quite important. Now, these people," she gestured at Lucca, Pierce, and Victor, "are on a spirit quest. You've heard of spirit quests, yes?"
"How could they have not?" Gemini's male persona shouted. Xue and Nuan looked at each other, and back to Gemini as they nodded their heads.
"They are working for us..."
"And the mask!" he added.
"...And all of the other spirits who look after people. Because very nasty monsters..."
"The worse sort of monsters!"
"...Are attacking people. We can't let people get attacked."
"We like people!"
"What are people-spirits supposed to do without people?"
"Who would learn things?"
"We can't get by without people learning things. So these people are on a spirit quest to stop the monsters. But they needed more than just people-spirits."
"That's how important this quest is!"
"They needed the help of the most important water spirit. But we're people-spirits, not water spirits. We couldn't talk to the most important water spirit."
"We're rubbish at swimming!"
"But your mother is a water spirit, and she personally knows the most important water spirit."
"She helps him with his important tasks, remember!"
"They gave her back her magic so she could go back to the spirit world, asked the important water spirit to help them, and went back to her job as the most important water spirit's assistant."
"Doing most important water spirit things!"
"But you are not spirits. Not proper spirits, at any rate. Not that I can tell."
"I told you full well what the difference is, you should know better by now!"
"If I choose to not remember the minutia of what is and isn't a proper fey, a fey-soul, a fey-blood, a material fey and an unborn fey, then I expect you to respect my life choices!" she called outside.
"It just seems a silly thing to relearn!" he called back.
"Anyways. You can't live in the spirit world. You have to stay here. Your mother has important spirit business that she needs to do that your father kept her from doing for too long, and staying here was making her sick. Even with a body, spirits get sick staying here too long."
"I bet your mother spent an awful lot of time looking at the ocean, didn't she?" he asked from outside.
As the male Gemini shouted out this question, Nuan bit her lip and looked down. She whispered almost inaudibly, "...Yeah..."
"So, she's back in the ocean. Little mortal girls can't live in the ocean. And your father is a cruel and nasty person."
"What sort of person steals a spirit's magic?" the male Gemini wasn't done adding commentary.
"Not a good sort," she agreed. "And your mother didn't want you staying with bad sorts of people. So she asked if you could stay with these people."
"They are an entirely nicer sort of person!"
"Yes. Fully endorsed by people-spirits."
The two girls looked blankly at Gemini. After a pause, the male voice called out, "You went and explained too much! Now they're just overwhelmed and confused!"
"Confusion is good!" she said, almost defensively, "Confusion leads to learning!"
"Not if you turn them off by throwing too much at once, we've gone over this!"
"Well, I can't be held responsible for what Materians can and can't digest in one sitting." She folded her arms, "Besides, at least they aren't weeping anymore. Most anything is better than that." True to her word, the two girls had gone from near-tears to a more bewildered sense of shock.
"True! Sadness is rather appalling!"
"Agreed."
"Gemini, hey. I think thats enough for right now. Can you just...like, be quiet for a few minutes?" Lucca interrupted the fey, trying to head them off before they got going again, adding earnestly. "Thank you for explaining, though." Turning his attention back to the girls he asked gently, "Did you understand what they were saying? Did some of that make sense?" Both of the girls just looked very confused, looking back from Gemini to Lucca. After a few seconds, Xue went to her backpack, not far away, and pulled from it a doll. She sat on the floor and hugged it with a determination, turning away from everyone. Nuan still looked close to tears; she put down the rabbit, which took a few hops away as she sank to the floor as well, hugging her knees. 
Pierce whispered in Mirin to Lucca, "They're overwhelmed. It's also late; we should put them to bed. It's a lot for them, especially if they're tired."
"Yes. I can see that," he replied dryly, levelling him briefly with a flat look. He looked back to the girls uncertainly, and after a moment, he added, "I'd imagine we'll be staying here tonight. Wanna give me a hand? I'm not sure if I qualify as an 'okay person' in their books yet."
"Of course," Pierce said, making to stand up. As he did, Virgil came scooting over from where he had been talking to his father. As he approached Nuan, he fell to his knees and slid forwards on his momentum. Without waiting, or really explaining himself in any fashion, he pulled her into a hug. Nuan looked shocked and became tense.
Virgil said, "Things are really sucky, an' I'm sorry, but 'cause your mom had to go an' your dad is a bad person, my dad is gonna be your dad instead, an' I'm gonna be your brother, an' things are gonna be better than they were before." Nuan sniffed, then began to cry into Virgil's shoulder. The boy continued to hug her, "They'll be better, 'cause I'm your brother an' I'll make 'em better." Xue looked over to the pair of them, and tears began to flow from her as well, as she continued to clutch her doll. Virgil looked over and gestured to her. Sniffing and crying, she looked at the floor. "I'm your brother too," he said to Xue, waving her over, "an' I'll make it better for both of you." Eventually, Xue shuffled over, and began crying into Nuan's lap; Virgil hugged both girls as they hugged each other. Victor walked quietly over to where Lucca and Pierce were, joining them in watching Virgil comfort the girls. When their tears began to stop, he pointed at Victor, "That's my dad. He's gonna be your dad too, 'cause yours was so mean. He's an adventurer, so his job is to make sure people don't fight, an' he beats up monsters and bad-guys an' makes sure everyone is safe. So, you never gotta be scared ever, 'cause he can protect you from like, anything." He shrugged, "Some people think he's scary, but they're dumb. He's only scary to people who hurt other people, so he gets mad if I do stuff that might hurt me or somebody, but never any other time. We go all over, an' see really neat things, an' do cool stuff together, an' if he ever goes away, he always always comes back, no matter what. An' that's Lucca," he said, changing the target of his finger, "he lives with us sometimes, an' sometimes he goes out on long adventures in the woods. He's super magic, an' fun, an' knows a lot of stuff. He can make himself look an' sound like anybody, an' can turn into animals, an' do cool magic stuff like that."
Xue looked up at him, "Where's...*sniff*...where's your mommy?"
"I don't have one," he said simply, "I got made by fey...bird spirits! Bird spirits brought me to Dad, so I don't gots a mother. But that's ok. I got dad, an' Lucca, an' a lot of friends an' Dad's friends an' Lucca's friends...and you! So I don't need a mommy."
"I need Mommy..." Xue said sadly. Virgil didn't know how to reply to that immediately, so he hugged her again. 
Taking a few steps forward, Victor knelt down to their level. The girls flinched back as he approached; he said quietly to Virgil, "We all need to go to bed now. It's been a very long day for everyone, and maybe things won't seem so bad in the morning."
"Don't be scared..." Virgil said to the timid girls, his voice an odd mixture of pleading and commanding. He held out his hand towards Victor, gesturing for him to come closer. Once he inched forwards a bit more, Virgil grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him over, though with their disparate strengths, he only ended up pulling himself and the girls closer to the adult. Both girls were rigid with sorrow and anxiety, but were too fearful to pull themselves away.
Victor frowned nervously, "Virgil, I don't think they're comfortable with..."
The boy shook his head vehemently, "Things are bad an' sad an' scary an' hugs make things better!" It was obvious at this point that Virgil wasn't feeling half as calm as he was letting on. Victor's frown deepened, but he hugged the three children as his son commanded.
"I am...very sorry..." Victor said, voice quiet. "But I will do everything I can to make it better for you both." He made a wistful face, "You can't understand a thing I'm saying right now...but I promise you anyways." He pulled back, and the two girls looked at him with a large measure of apprehension. He bowed forwards formally in a gesture of introduction. "I'm pleased to meet you." Virgil translated this, whispering conspiratorially towards them. Nuan blinked, then returned the gesture; Xue followed suit. "Virgil, could you please help them get settled for bed. It is far, far passed your bedtimes." Seeing as it was very late, Virgil nodded dutifully before turning his attentions back towards the girls, leading them over to a place to get ready to sleep. 
Pierce went over to Victor, "So...you're adopting them then?" 
Nodding, Victor replied, "It seemed the best idea, all things considered."
The other man agreed, "It's good that someone offered. I would have, if no one else did, though my wife might have given me a few unkind words." Victor watched them with trepidation; Pierce noticed this. "It will be alright. They're good kids, from what I've seen, and you've handled Virgil well. I...can help, with whatever, if you need it," he said, his voice stumbling over the last sentence awkwardly. He changed tack, "Are they coming with us?"
"No. All three are going to Engiadina to stay with Caitlyn and Cheko, until this is done." 
Nodding, Pierce agreed. He looked at the girls, then went to move forwards, "I'll set up some blankets to make a screen. They might be more comfortable if they have some privacy." Victor nodded his assent. As Pierce left to collect some blankets, Lucca drifted wordlessly over to Victor and gently leaned against him. He rested his head against the older man's shoulder, his expression sad and thoughtful as he watched the children unobtrusively. Victor watched as well, his mounting anxiety only obvious to someone looking closely; his posture remained very stiff, despite Lucca leaning into him, and his gaze followed the children until they had settled behind the newly-erected screen. When Pierce had withdrawn, Victor stood and went over to the seperated room. He paused outside and waited a beat before saying, "Good night," without pushing aside the cloth.
Virgil poked his head out almost immediately and hugged his father. Kneeling down, Victor returned the gesture, and his son kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight." He turned around to look at the girls, who peered over nervously. "He said goodnight!" he told them, translating for his father. The girls looked to each other, to Virgil, and eventually bowed their heads, mumbling something that only Virgil understood as 'Goodnight'.
Victor gathered the meaning, though; he gave them a smile before turning back to Virgil, "Are you going to stay with them tonight?" Virgil nodded. "Alright. Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning." Virgil hugged him again, then returned to setting up his things to sleep. "Let me know if you or the girls need anything," Victor added before turning to go.
"Ok!" With Virgil's affirmation, Victor returned to Lucca. 
Meanwhile, while Victor had been doing this, Gemini had turned to Lucca, "So, we heard you are sending the young partial-feys to Engiadina?"
"That's the plan," Lucca replied with a slight nod, "It's gotten too dangerous for them to stay with us at this point, so we figured that'd be a better call...why?"
"It just seems a bit odd, is all!" the male counterpart offered from outdoors.
"You were so very unwilling to leave the little one before..."
"And so quick to bring him back!"
"...that it seems odd to change your mind now."
"You aren't going to be preoccupied if they leave, are you?"
"Because we certainly don't want you distracted now."
"Not when we're so close to winning!" the male Gemini finished the pair's sentiment.
"It might be difficult, but I'm sure we can keep our focus; we have to, you are right." He pursed his lips, then sighed softly, "Sending them away is not something we'd like to do, but our options are kinda limited."
Gemini looked thoughtful for a moment. "We feel like we should help more. But we are running out of ways to find ourselves useful."
"We have no pearls, no more powerful friends, and are useless at wanton destruction!" came the voice from outside.
"The best we can do is teleport."
"We are very good at that!"
"One has to be able to travel to learn things, you know."
"Can't stay in one spot!"
"We are wondering if it is more useful to watch the tiny feykin, to keep you focused..."
"Or just move you about faster, to get this done sooner!"
"I suppose you could keep the tiny ones with you, and we could remove them when things become dangerous..."
"But things are dangerous all the time now, aren't they?"
"That is a much larger reliance on our reaction time than I'd like."
"Agreed."
"So, what is of greater assistance?"
"Watching the tiny feykin?"
"Or moving you about?" the female finished.
"I...I really don't know." Lucca said, taken off guard by their offer. "That's something we're definitely gonna have to take up together as a group to decide. In either case, your help will be greatly appreciated, thank you."
"Well, let us know when you decide. Until then, I'm going to return to Etheria."
"Ugh. Agreed. This body itches."
"And everything smells awful." With that, the woman turned on her heel and exited the tent, leaving Lucca to watch as Victor joined him. The man's face had the veneer of calm that masked his anxiety, an expression Lucca hadn't seen on him since Virgil had first started going to away to school. He gave him a pointedly questioning look, cocking his head slightly as he did so.
Exhaling heavily, Victor said, "I need air," and headed outside.
Lucca scooped up his cat from where it had been rolling about by his feet, then turned and walked towards the curtain. He announced himself, and Virgil appeared at the screen, poking his head out.
"Hey you. Your dad and I are gonna go for a walk; would you mind if this guy hangs out with you?" He asked, proffering the cat slightly.
The boy looked at the pudgy cat, "It's a real cat, not a summoned cat?"
"Nope. He's all real."
"Where'd you get a cat in the ocean?" he asked incredulously, taking him from Lucca. The cat didn't mind the transfer, and hung contentedly in the boy's arms.
"This super tiny whale-fae-dude gave him to me. I dunno where he got him from though, he just sorta...appeared and the dude handed him to me." The druid shrugged. "He's a pretty awesome cat, though. He loves everything, especially cuddles."
"Cool." Virgil scratched the cat's chin, making the feline stick out his head and purr. "What's his name?"
"He doesn't have one yet...I was thinking you guys might be able to help come up with a good one for him, though?"
"Hmm..." Virgil considered. "We'll have to think of one." He looked up to Lucca and held out his hand, "I'mma need your talking hat. Please."
"Sure thing," Lucca retrived the helmet, handing it over to the boy. Virgil took the helmet and thanked Lucca while popping it on, its magical nature subtly refitting it to his smaller head. "You can keep it, kay? Share it with the girls; I'm sure they'll find it a bit less scary if they can understand what everyone is saying." Virgil nodded. Leaving the cat in Virgil's arms, Lucca said goodnight to Virgil once more, before looking over him and saying goodnight to the two girls. They murmured their replies, inclining their heads politely as they did. With that, Lucca turned and headed outside, following the others.
Victor had given a quick explanation to Pierce, and an update to Clover, telling the two of them to keep an eye and ear out for them, seeing as they were likely the two whom the girls were least timid of at this point. They agreed, and he turned and headed towards the beach, stopping only to retrieve something from his bag. He began to walk along without any rush, his mind obviously occupied; what he had retrieved had proven to be his cigarettes, and he had begun smoking as he meandered. It wasnt long before he was joined by Lucca, the druid falling wordlessly into step with him. Victor did not make a point of acknowledging the newcomer, but neither was he ignoring or overlooking him. They walked up the late-night beach silently, looking at the stars and waves. Victor continued smoking, starting a new cigarette when he finished the first. He expression was a carefully-constructed calmness, covering his anxiety.
"Talk to me. What are you thinkin'?" Lucca eventually said quietly, "What is it about this that's got you so freaked out?"
Victor exhaled a stream of smoke slowly before replying, "Everything. Nothing." He stopped to take another drag before replying, "I don't know what I'm doing and considering all of the ways it could go wrong. What if they don't adjust? What if they're always afraid, or resentful? What if I take them to Mirilarin, and they're better off here in Akroum?" As he spoke, his voice began to hint ever more strongly at his nervousness. "What if they get used to Engiadina, and I hurt them more by moving them again? But what if moving to another continent is just as bad for you and Virgil? What if I'm wrong in taking them to begin with? I don't know anything about raising children, I'm just guessing entirely, and now there are three and I don't even remember what I was doing two weeks ago let alone how to raise children, and I certainly know nothing about girls. What if Virgil becomes jealous, or feels overlooked? What if the girls become depressed, or angry, or run away? Why did I agree to this so readily if I am apparently only going to think about the repercussions of all of the mistakes I'm going to make after it's too late?" He stopped to drag from his cigarette again, adding, "Everything could go wrong. Nothing is wrong. You can leave me to my madness."
Lucca sighed softly and gave him a sympathetic look. "It's gonna be fine, you don't need to worry so much. Things could go wrong, but most of what you said? Nah. And even the stuff that might? We'll manage, we always do." He looked at the waves thoughtfully for a few minutes before continuing, "You aren't wrong in taking them to begin with, I can say that much for certain. We are probably the best place for them to be, honestly, considering their background and future potential. They're daughters of a fey, with the potential to manifest all sorts of strange things one day. I can't imagine that'd go over well amongst average folks, certainly not in a goddamn orphanage, and if they do...well, that shit is pretty fucking stressful and they'll probably need a lot of support. That I know first hand. But with us, that sorta thing is downright normal, we've done it all before...Virg was brought by fey, I'm a changeling," he made a brief face as he said the word, "you might not be fey-related but you certainly ain't an average dude either. My point is they'll fit right in with the rest of us, and I think we can give them the best possible environment to be in, in that sense. We're all well equipped to give them everything they need." Changing topics, he gave a soft snort, "And don't even start worrying about not knowing how to raise kids. You were in exactly the same boat when Virgil came along, and look how awesome he's turned out? Plus, this time they're not straight up babies, and I'm not a dumbass kid two steps from a freakout anymore, so if anything, we're better off. It'll be fine. Even if we did run into a problem, we've got people who can help; Granny, Cheko, the Komatsus...lots of people." He paused for a moment, before adding softly, "As for their attitudes and adjusting...only time will tell, and it's something they'd face no matter where they went. It's not really in our control one way or another. All we can do is give them the best environment possible and hope they come around. I have faith that they will though. They're going through some tough shit right now, but they seem to have a lot of mettle for people so young."
"Children are surprisingly resilient," Victor declared. "And I know. I know it's not really an issue. But I worry. I don't have all of my memory, but I know that much. I worry about things, probably needlessly. But, I also know that it passes. I just need to give my mind something else to occupy itself with." He finished his cigarette and flicked away the end, "Which really brings us to why we're walking out there in the first place."
"Which is...?" Lucca quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You see that dune?" he said, pointing.
"Uh huh...?"
"I am going to take you behind it, and fuck you until you pass out," he said with a smug sort of grin.
The druid gaped at him for a moment, somewhat taken aback by his uncharacteristic coarseness, then made a face. "Oh, are you now?" he said with a slight teasing note to his tone."That's a hell of a way to ask someone." With a cheeky smile, he added, "And that's gonna look real classy on you if you manage it and have to carry my ass back, you know."
"Asking? Did I sound like I was asking?" he replied. "And let's be honest, the only one who is likely to be awake to ask would be Ryuji. If I tell him you fell asleep looking at stars, I'm sure he'd be all too willing to accept that excuse. And really? 'Manage it'? You talk like I'm an amateur." As they closed the last bit of distance, he added, "In all seriousness though, if I go too far, or offend you in some manner, let me know and I'll stop. Otherwise, I see no reason not to bother and tease and boss you about."
Lucca watched Victor speak with a crooked smile, amusement plain on his face. "Shut up, old man," he said, stopping and catching the front of Victor's jacket, pulling him closer, "At what point did I tell you not to?" Standing on tiptoe, he wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed his lips to Victor's, adding, "That's precisely how I like it."
"Then you'd best not call me 'old man', or I might not be inclined to be kind to you," he returned.
"Oh no? Since when?" He smiled knowingly as he added, "What the hell am I supposed to call you, then?"
"Tch. Such a stubborn little vassal you are." He looked down his nose at him, "It's like you ask to be disciplined." Lucca's smile simply widened into an impish grin. Victor added, "If you like it enough to ask, then you will want it enough to beg." He lingered over him, "Let's see how well you can grovel."
----
Ryuji fluttered to the ground before shifting back into his human form, after doing a cursory sweep of the area to make sure nothing was amiss. There had been no sign of the All since they had left Duvallon, but it never hurt to stay vigilant. When he returned to camp, he saw Cohen sitting on the ground, leaning back on a pile of bags and looking at the stars, twisting and flipping his pen about idly. "Aren't you going to sleep?" Ryuji asked. "It's only a few hours until dawn."
"It's interesting," he replied, not looking over. "After we sealed that rift, would you say you felt more powerful?"
"I..." Ryuji clenched and unclenched his hand a few times, looking at it. "...Maybe. Yes. I suppose...I didn't notice, right away."
"Our ascendancy strength has increased. The gods have empowered us further, because we're on the right track," Cohen explained. "We're winning. Isn't that a nice sentiment?"
"Yeah," Ryuji agreed, crossing his arms, confused as to where this conversation was going.
Cohen's eyes flicked over to the other man, and his eyebrow raised slightly. "The point being, that ever since then, I haven't felt tired. I was a bit winded after the fight, obviously, but nothing that a short rest didn't fix. I haven't felt hungry either, and wouldn't you know it, but I can hold my breath indefinitely." He continued playing with his pen, "Apparently, my ascendancy powers are slowly making me undead. Without the unsightly issues that come with actually being dead, of course."
The Yetoman frowned. "...Why do you want that?"
"What?" Cohen looked over in askance.
"Why do you want to be undead?"
"I certainly don't want to be undead," he explained. "I enjoy being alive. There's a big difference between not needing to eat and not being able to eat. Plus, undead are sort of...well, they toe the line between being mortal and not. It's kind of their thing. I want to push the bounds of mortality. I want to improve mortality, so that our physical states are more on par with those of extraplanars. Undead...proper sentient undead, that is, not the shambing puppet sorts of creatures, I hate those...they exceed mortality, but the way they do feels a bit like cheating. I'm sure undead could be improved upon as well, emphasize the 'un' rather than the 'dead' to make a hardier, healthier, more magically-adept being, but my goals have always been to make a better human, not a better vampire. I won't argue that they are a physically superior mortal, but it's an entirely other angle. Maybe I'll get there eventually. But all of this is neither here nor there. What's bothered me for the last decade is the fact that I'd die before I got anywhere. I was getting so close, but, it was all for nothing in the end. Nothing brought the futility into focus more than your wife's destruction of my book. I had next to nothing, after years of work. A bunch of disparate knowledge and skills, but the project was gone. I had painted a mural for 48 years, only to have it put to the torch when it was nearly done, leaving me with a brush and the skill but not enough years on my life left to redo everything. That's what plagued me. That's the strength I wanted. I don't want to be immortal, per say...but I need to live long enough to finish my work. And that could be a while. That's the form my power is taking, because that's what I want my impact on the world to be. It just looks a lot like undeath."
Ryuji listened throughout this; when he finished, he merely regarded him flatly for another minute. Eventually, he said simply, "You're a disturbed person."
"Oh dear. Your words sting like a thousand knives. My ego is irreperably damaged." Cohen looked at him sardonically, "I've had family call me worse than that; try a little harder if you're actually trying to make me feel guilty. Although," he said with mock brightness, "I will admit, that's not very hard to do that since you put this collar on me, so, overall, you've probably made me feel worse than everyone else on the planet combined. Congratulations." Ryuji frowned again, and turned to leave. Cohen added, "The worst part is, a thousand years from now, we'll be the only two left alive who'll remember any of this. What happened. Who was with us. What the world looks like now." This made Ryuji pause for a second, before he took a few more steps away, turned back into a bird and flew off. Cohen looked back up. "Gods, I hope he matures some..." He flicked his pen up into the air and caught it with ease, watching the stars once more. A little while later, he noticed Victor walk in, carrying a sleeping Lucca. "That took a while, even for you," Cohen called over to him.
This caught Victor's attention, and he looked over to see the doctor glancing his way. "Isn't it a bit late to be awake, Doctor?" he returned.
"Sleep is for the weak," he said with a smile.
"Agreed," he said, returning the grin and carrying the unconscious druid into the tent. 
Category:Advent of the All