Life in Vain: Jobless Reincarnation

79 – Fangs of the Black Wolf

Sometime past noon, a loud commotion echoed from the distance. Lots of voices, along with the sound of a horse and a carriage.

Frowning, I walked out of the house and looked to see what the hubbub was about.

It turned out to be a group of people. A group of people walking towards our house, with a carriage in the back. A group of people that included Mom, Dad, and Master Roxy.  Mister Laws, Miss Rose, and Sylphy's grandma... and then Eris, Ghyslaine, and a strange monkey-faced man I didn't know in the back with the carriage. 

Norn walked over to me and tugged my right pants leg. "Rui? Twuble?"

I ruffled her hair and said, "No. Just..." I frowned and said, "It's odd."

Sylphy walked over towards me and looked confused as well when she saw the group. "Um. Were you expecting this many people today, Rudy?"

"No." I frowned and then turned to look back in the house. "Mama Lily?"

She hugged Aisha to her chest and then walked out to take a look. When she saw everyone, shook her head. "No. I was not aware that we were entertaining guests either..." She sighed. "It appears that your father may have done something again."

"I don't know if that's completely true... but I guess we can blame Dad for this. Especially since that Eris girl is in the group."

Sylphy narrowed her eyes.

I poked Sylphy and said, "Be nice, Sylphy."

Sylphy blinked and gave me a bright smile. "I'm not planning anything, Rudy."

"Uh-huh... Just remember that it's best to play nice. For now."

Sylphy nodded. "Okay. Since Rudy isn't planning to become the Demon God yet, I'll be nice."

Aisha gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Big Bro is Demon God?"

"I'm not!" I poked Sylphy's forehead and said, "Look what you've got them thinking now, Sylphy!"

"Heehee..."

I sighed and then looked at the group more carefully.

Mom was there. It seemed like Dad went to pick her up. And she was happily chatting with Sylphy's grandma, Rostelina in the front.

Mister Laws and Miss Rose were nearby as well, standing behind Mom and Dad. Mister Laws look exasperated, but Miss Rose looked really happy and was chiming in every now and then talking with Mom and Rostelina.

But they weren't the only guests.

Ghyslaine and Eris were sitting in the back of the carriage, one driven by that man with a monkey-like face.

Master Roxy took up the rear, thoughtfully playing with her silver elemental spirit thing. Though I noticed that she kept glancing at the monkey-faced man.

And I couldn't blame her. The man seemed shady. His equipment, amiable smile, and his face practically screamed 'bandit' or 'thief.'

But there wasn't anything off about him. He barely had any silver mana, meaning that he didn't train at all. And while he was fit, his body wasn't trained like a warrior. In fact, he didn't even have any weapons on him.

...So why did staring at him give me the heebie-jeebies? Like I was missing something?

Before I could sort out why that was, my dad waved at me, letting out a nervous smile. "Hey, Rudy! Some of Dad's old friends came by to visit. You don't mind, right?"

I sighed.

-LIV-

"So you're Paul's kid, huh?" The monkey-faced man, someone called Gisu apparently, looked at me while sipping on a mug of juice. "Funny. You look pretty sharp. Guess you took more after Zenith than Paul, huh?"

I shrugged. "Maybe." I paused and then said, "Hopefully. I don't want to be making mistakes all over the place like my Dad does."

"Hey!" Dad chimed in, waving a mug of foaming beer at me. "I'm doing better!"

"Better is not good, Dad. But I appreciate you trying."

A lively party outside in the courtyard.

Since this was the first time most of Dad's adventurer party got back together, we were having a big party to celebrate.

Well, to celebrate that and apparently to celebrate the fact that I was going to have another baby sibling soon.

...Maybe I should bring up family planning to Dad sometime. Money wasn't a problem, but at the rate things were going...

I mean, I would love having a bunch of cute younger siblings running around. But I would also not rather have to yell at dad about us being broke all the time...

Which reminded me that I needed to work more on that mana to magic crystal conversion process. And alchemy.

Always good to have a way to make more money. Especially since coins in this world held value mostly because of the material and not the symbol.

Anyway, we were all outside except for Mama Lily, Master Roxy, and Miss Rose who were all cooking inside.

I took a look around the courtyard and saw that people had grouped up to chat.

Mom was hanging out with Ghyslaine and Rostelina, the women happily chatting together and gushing over Norn and Aisha who were sitting with them.

Me, Dad, and that Gisu guy were hanging out.

Laws was with Sylphy... and Eris.

My red-headed cousin seemed irritated at being there. But it seemed like she had grudgingly apologized. Well, that or she was being worn down by Sylphy's kindness.

Wasn't entirely sure which, but it seemed like things were going well over there.

Probably helped that there were two responsible adults around this time instead of Dad and Ghyslaine.

Not that I had anything against Ghyslaine, but she seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Dad in being good with a sword and pretty much nothing else.

"Hey, Paul. Does your kid always space out like this?"

"Don't worry about him, Gisu. My genius son's got a lot of different projects in his head."

I blinked and realized that I was doing the thing again. I coughed, feeling my face heat up and said, "I-I don't space out that often, Dad. Not as often as you stare at women."

Dad leaned forward, taking a large swig out of his beer. After that, he said, "Rudy. Have you *seen* your mom and Mama Lily? If we were in the Asura Kingdom, I'd be fighting people off left and right to stop people from trying to flirt with them."

I narrowed my eyes.

Dad quickly added. "A-Ah. I'm just exaggerating, Kiddo. No need to get your panties in a bunch."

I sighed and said, "I don't wear panties, Dad. And I hope you are." I frowned and muttered, "If not, maybe I really should start plotting a social revolution."

If the kingdom was really as bad as Dad kept subtly making it out to be... and if it churned out nobles like Sauros and left people as mentally scarred as Mama Lily was when we first met, it might be good to pay a visit.

Though, considering that the Asura Kingdom had the largest military force in the world, it might not be the best thing to do right now...

"Huh." Gisu sipped on his drink and said, "You've got a pretty scary kid, Paul."

Paul laughed and said, "Yeah. Rudy's pretty scary. Did I tell you about the time he almost killed Ghyslaine?"

"Oi!" I cut in and said, "That was your fault, Dad. And I wasn't going to... Probably."

"Hoh?" Gisu stared at me and said, "Scary. Maybe I should be careful about smart kids in the future? Seems like a pretty bad jinx..."

I blinked. "Jinx?"

Gisu laughed and said, "Yep. A jinx. Mm... Think of it like a good luck charm. If something went wrong before, it'll probably go wrong again, right? Then it's better to just avoid situations where those things can go wrong."

Dad snorted and said, "That's just being superstitious."

"Hey." Gisu shrugged and said, "It's what's kept me alive all these years while not having combat skills, Paul."

"And I keep saying that you should have picked some up." Paul shook his head and said, "Isn't it a worse jinx being unable to defend yourself if something happens?"

Gisu laughed. "True. But that's what my buddies are for. It's a jinx going on an adventure alone, you know?"

I stared at Dad and Gisu being chummy and then frowned. "How do you know Dad anyway, Mister Gisu?"

Gisu waved his hand and said, "It's a long story."

Dad chuckled and said, "It's not that long." He reached an arm around Gisu and pulled him close, saying, "This guy was the source of half our troubles and half our funds, Rudy."

Gisu brushed Dad's arm off and said, "Yeah, and you were the other half of our troubles."

"And the funds!"

"Only after Zenith joined and you stopped chasing tail. Before that it was all Elinalise." He paused and said, "Though I guess it's Rostelina now?" He shrugged and sipped on his juice. "Whatever the case, it's good that she finally got her memories back. Though..." Gisu looked at Rostelina and said, "She's pretty different, huh?"

"Meh." Dad shrugged and said, "We've all changed a bit over the years. Even you. Since when were you sentimental enough to track down Ghyslaine of all people to say hi?"

Gisu laughed and said, "That's true. But it's a bit lonely by yourself, you know? Most people turn to god or go crazy."

I frowned and stared harder at Gisu.

I couldn't help but feel that something was off about him. It didn't seem like his camaraderie with Dad and the others was fake, but...

Gisu noticed me staring and winked. "Sorry, kiddo. No matter how hard you stare at me, I'm not giving up my tricks. You're going to have to figure out how to handle your Dad on your own."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not what I'm bothered about."

I was worried about his slippery response. He never answered my question, and he was pretty good at directing the flow of the conversation too.

But it was odd. Something didn't feel right.

I stared harder and then I saw it. A faint flicker of white mist floating around Gisu's head.

Dad noticed too and then instantly frowned.

"Eh?" Gisu blinked and said, "What's wrong, Paul?"

Dad glanced at me and then laughed. "Nothing, Gisu. But it's pretty wild that you happened to show up in Roa... Have things been going alright for you?"

"Mm..." Gisu looked thoughtful and he said, "I guess it was a bit weird. I got this urge to suddenly visit and-"

I focused and quietly dispersed the white mist, converting it into ambient mana with a magic circle formed out of holy mana.

"Huh?" Gisu blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's weird. Felt like some wool got pulled out of my head."

Dad laughed and said, "That's what you get for being a bachelor so long." He raised his beer mug to Gisu and said, "You gotta settle down with a nice gal, Gisu."

Gisu chuckled. "Maybe. But me and girls don't mix well, Paul."

"What?" Dad tapped Gisu's arm and said, "Got a jinx on that too?"

"Something like that." He laughed.

I quietly dispersed the magic circle and kept a close eye on Being W's mana.

It was gone. But the fact that it didn't show up until now... He was getting sneakier. Latching onto one of Dad's old friends too... If I wasn't paying attention, would he have made the guy do something ridiculous like kidnap Norn or Aisha?

No, if I wasn't cautious and noticed how weird Gisu felt, I might have missed it.

Sneaky bastard.

Gisu looked at me and said, "That's a scary face you've got, Kiddo." He reached over and ruffled my hair, saying, "You should relax more. You don't want to jinx things by being too scary, you know?"

Dad laughed and said, "Yeah. Most of Gisu's jinxes are ridiculous, but he does have a point. Take it easy for a bit, Rudy. Here, do you want to try some-"

"PAUL GREYRAT!" Mom's voice cut through the air and she said, "If Rudy sips any alcohol, you get the floor!"

Dad instantly leaned back and said, "I'm kidding! Geez, Zenith." He looked at me though and winked.

I sighed.

Gisu chuckled and said, "Some things never change, huh?" He looked at Dad and said, "I thought you were all grown up, but you're still that childish horn dog at heart, aren't you?"

Dad drained his beer and set his mug on the ground. After that, he said, "I'll have you know that I was a wolf. Especially after-"

"Ahem." I cleared my throat and gave Dad a pointed look.

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um... It's the legacy of a misspent youth, Rudy. Don't be like me, kay?"

"Considering how things seem to blow up whenever you do something, Dad, I really don't want to be like you at all."

Dad nodded. "That's smart. Though you really could take a few pages from my playbook on girls. With how dense you are, I'm starting to worry I won't see grandchildren until I'm in my fifties."

"W-What?" I felt my face heat up and then kicked my dad's shin. "What are you even trying to teach to your eight year old kid?!"

"Ow! You aren't eight years old yet, Rudy!"

"I might as well be eighty with all the stress you've caused me!"

"Heh. You know, you sound a lot like your mom when you get angry."

"Should I be like Mister Laws instead and use my fists then?"

"H-Hold on. No need to go that far."

Gisu laughed.

I noticed and then paused, backing off. After that, I crossed my arms and huffed. "Whatever." I looked over at Sylphy and then said, "I'm going to chat with Sylphy and the others."

Dad looked at me and said, "Please play nice with Eris. Her dad basically kicked her out here to the boonies, so she's feeling pretty irritated. But she's a nice girl."

"You keep saying that, Dad... But we'll see." I shook my head and then walked over to Sylphy, Mister Laws, and Eris.

-LIV-

Eris was in a bad mood.

Ghyslaine ditched her to talk with some other women, that elf woman Rostelina or whatever and some other woman with blonde hair. Actually, both of them had blonde hair... but whatever. Wasn't important.

What was important was that she was stuck with that elf girl who tried to kill her last time and an elf man who seemed to be her father.

But that was fine. The elf girl had been scary last time, but she calmed down. Not only that, but her father was polite at least.

After getting some chairs for them all, the elf girl's father... Law or something left to get some snacks and drinks.

That left Eris alone with Sylphy for a bit.

She was worried the elf girl would flip again and try to kill her. But that didn't happen.

Instead, the elf girl was calm. In fact, she was even smiling at Eris. And not a fake smile either, but a soft and confident one.

Eris frowned and said, "What are you so happy about?"

"Mm?" The elf girl shook her head and said, "There would be too many things to list. But I guess I'm just happy that it's so lively here. And that I have a chance to see you again."

Eris blinked and pointed at herself. "Me?"

...Was the elf girl crazy or something?

"Yep!" The elf girl nodded and held out her hand. "We didn't start off right last time, did we? Sorry. My name's Sylphy by the way."

...She was definitely crazy. Eris would never have forgiven someone who talked to her the way Eris had to Sylphy back then.

Ah. But this *was* the elf girl who snapped and actually tried to murder her, so...

Eris suppressed the shiver of fear running down her spine at the flashback of those countless icicles and instead forced a smile on her face. Grabbing Sylphy's hand, Eris nodded and said, "It's... fine, Sylphy. I accept your apology. And I'm..." Eris swallowed her pride and said, "I'm sorry for what I did too."

There. She did what Ghyslaine asked her to. But she still didn't-

"Wow!" Sylphy clapped her hands and said, "You actually apologized?"

Eris felt her face heat up and crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?! Is my apology not good enough or something?"

Sylphy shook her head. "It's great! I just... didn't think that a princess like you would apologize."

Eris blinked and said, "Princess?"

"Mmhm." Sylphy nodded and said, "You're a princess, aren't you? I heard from Papa how all the servants in your house listened to you and gave you all you want. It must be nice."

Eris's face darkened and she looked away. "...You only think it's nice because you have a good Dad."

That Law guy seemed to actually care about Sylphy. No, he was nice enough to get something for Eris as well, so he seemed to be a decent person. And he didn't seem as strong as Paul or Ghyslaine, but he gave off a reassuring aura. Not like Grandpa Sauros who would break everything apart, but someone who would show up no matter what.

"Eh?" Sylphy blinked and said, "Mister Philip didn't seem that bad though?"

"Tch." Eris shook her head and said, "Who cares about a weakling like that anyway? All he does is spend his days in the office writing letters or getting smacked around by Grandpa and ignored by Mom."

Sylphy blinked again and said, "That doesn't seem like someone weak though?"

Eris paused. "What do you mean?"

"Well." Sylphy started swinging her legs back and forth on her chair and said, "A weakling wouldn't be able to do all of that with a smile. And it was only a bit, but Mister Philip was smiling even after you made that big mess, wasn't he?"

Eris furrowed her brow.

...It was true. Her father was always smiling that annoying fake smile. Even when Grandpa hit him in the face, or when Mom slapped him, he didn't respond. Instead, he put on that smile and bowed.

...No. When Eris hit him too, all he did was smile at her.

Maybe she was wrong? Grandpa said that her father wasn't weak too, didn't he?

Then...

"Argh. Whatever." Eris crossed her arms. "It doesn't matter if he's weak or not. I still hate him for sending me all the way out here. Who cares if I got a fancy new sword or whatever. Do you know how annoying it was sitting on that bumpy carriage for so long?"

Sylphy shook her head. "I don't. But it's not that bad, right? At least you could still see and move around a bit."

Eris rolled her eyes. "Of course I could! But it's still cramped."

"Mm." Sylphy nodded. "It must be nice though. You don't have anybody to worry about but yourself. You've even got that strong big sister Ghyslaine to escort you all the way here."

Eris frowned. "That's not true. I've got a lot to worry about! Like... Like Mom! And Grandpa!"

Right?

She would definitely be mad if something happened to them.

...Would she?

Eris paused to think about that.

And then she stopped thinking about it and huffed. "It doesn't matter." Eris took a look around and said, "How are you not bored around a place like this anyway?"

All that Eris could see was grass, grass, and more grass.

Well, there was a forest in the distance and some farmlands too. And that tiny village. but that was it.

Sylphy shrugged. "I've got a friend to play with so it's never really boring."

Eris felt a pang of jealousy but she did her best to not let it show. Instead, she turned up her nose at Sylphy and said, "Who needs friends anyway? That just means you're weak."

Sylphy nodded. "Yep. I'm pretty weak. I mean, you beat me, didn't you?"

Eris flinched. She wasn't expecting Sylphy to acknowledge that so easily.

Sylphy continued talking like nothing happened though and said, "But even if that's true, I'd rather be weak and have someone to make my days happy and fun than be strong and live sad and lonely days."

Eris felt a jab in her heart at those words.

Sad and lonely days...

Until Ghyslaine showed up, wasn't that how she felt? That no one cared about her and that she was all alone?

Before Eris could think too much on that, Laws returned.

"Here you go, Miss Eris." Laws smiled and held out a small wooden cup to Eris. "Sorry it took so long. My wife had a lot to say to me when I went inside."

Eris took the cup with a meek nod and said, "It's fine."

Laws's smile widened.

Eris looked away, feeling uncomfortable at the warm expression.

Sylphy smiled at that.

Laws handed a cup to Sylphy as well and said, "I got you some juice too, Luffy."

"Thanks, Papa." Sylphy took the cup and sipped on it.

Laws sat down and then looked at Eris. "I hope that you haven't had too rough a time, Miss Eris. I know that it may seem like a drastic change coming from Roa, but Buina village has its charms as well."

Sylphy nodded and said, "Right! And since you're here, we have a new friend to play with! Oh, and we can introduce you to Norn and Aisha too. They're really cute, you know? And I'm sure they'd like to have a new big sister to play with."

"B-Big sister? Me?" Eris blinked.

...Weird. These people were all weird.

They didn't know her. And Eris didn't do anything good to them.

Even so, they were being nice. Welcoming.

...She was sure of it. Everyone here was crazy. Even so...

Eris took a sip from her juice.

...It wasn't bad.

"Oh! Rudy." Sylphy spoke up and waved to someone in the back.

Eris paused and turned around to look.

Rudy. That boy Paul kept talking about. The one that Ghyslaine called a monster with magic. The one who her dad said would become her husband in the future.

Before, Eris didn't have a good chance to look at him. But she did now, so she took advantage of that.

He was young. Shorter than Eris too. His face was still a bit chubby and gave off a cute look. Paired with his bright and wide green eyes, he looked like a complete pushover.

But he wasn't.

His silver hair showed that. From what she heard from Ghyslaine, Rudy's hair turned that after using a crazy magic spell that almost killed even Ghyslaine.

Not only that, but his body was trained. Instead of chubby kid arms, they were clearly muscular and defined.

Weird, considering how he was still a kid. But it showed that he took training seriously.

...Or that Paul was even worse on him than he was on her.

Maybe both?

Rudy let out an easygoing laugh and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sylphy. I wanted to talk with Mister Gisu for a little bit, but Dad kept bringing up the past..."

Laws sighed. "Of course. Paul is the sort to run his mouth when he's had too much to drink..." He shook his head and stood up. "I will make sure he remembers to keep it in moderation." He smiled and said, "Have fun, you three."

With that, Laws left.

And then it was just Eris, Sylphy, and Rudy. And when that was the case, Rudy turned to look at Eris.

Eris felt her breath stop.

Sharp eyes. The innocent and wide-eyed look vanished in an instant. Those bright green eyes suddenly turned dark and menacing, flashing with a bit of crimson light.

The mocking words Eris planned to say suddenly vanished as she felt her heart race in fear.

And then that sharp gaze was gone, as if it was just an illusion. Rudy let out a warm smile and said, "Sorry about that. I don't think we've properly been introduced, right? I'm Rudy."

"E-Eris..." She mumbled her name and averted her gaze.

Scary. Even now her heart was pounding in her chest.

Ghyslaine was right. Rudy was definitely a monster. Just looking at him made her body freeze up.

Rudy smiled and then held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Eris."

A warm and sincere greeting.

One that definitely didn't make sense considering what happened the last time she saw him.

...Crazy. She was sure of it now. Everyone here was crazy. Still...

Eris took Rudy's hand and shook it. "...It's nice to meet you too, I guess."

Eris suddenly felt a sharp gaze from behind Rudy and flinched.

"Hm?" Rudy frowned and took a look around. "Did something happen?"

Sylphy laughed and said, "Maybe Eris is just seeing things? She *has* been on a carriage ride all day. Isn't that right, Eris?"

Eris started to sweat. "Y-Yes. That's... probably it."

Rudy's frown deepened and he said, "That's no good." He lifted Eris's hand up and then placed his other hand over it.

Eris was confused, but then she felt a sudden warmth spread from her hand to her body. When she did, fatigue she didn't even know she was feeling was swept away.

"There." Rudy smiled and said, "That should have helped."

A bright and warm expression.

...One that Eris barely acknowledged considering the chilling gaze she felt from Sylphy, standing just behind Rudy.

"Hm?" Rudy tilted her head. "Did that not work?"

Eris quickly shook her head. "It did! I'm fine! I think. Just... still a bit tired."

"Oh." Rudy nodded. "Probably some mental fatigue then. It's probably your first time on a long carriage ride, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Thought so. Then... how about we just sit and chat for a while to get to know each other? I overheard Ghyslaine mentioning that you two will be in Buina village for a while, right? And since we *are* family, I guess we should get to know each other better."

Family? Her and Rudy?

Eris felt her face warm up.

Rudy blinked. "What?"

Sylphy let out a deep sigh.

"Huh?" Rudy looked at Sylphy and said, "Did I say something wrong?"

Hearing that, Eris sighed as well.

...For someone supposedly smart, Rudy sure seemed to be an idiot...

-LIV-

Ghyslaine looked at Zenith and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Zenith."

Zenith hugged Norn against her chest and nodded, smiling. "It's good to see you again too, Ghyslaine. And you too, Elinalise- Ah, I mean Rostelina."

Rostelina smiled while braiding Aisha's hair. "Just call me Lina, Zenith." She laughed and said, "And it's fine. I didn't expect things to end up this way either, so I don't blame you messing it up."

"I'm happy that you got your memories back though!" Zenith smiled and said, "I know you said you started remembering things a while back, but it's good that you remembered all of them now!"

Rostelina let out a wry smile. "It's come with its own fair share of challenges. But it's been nice, yes. Though I'll admit things have turned a bit awkward as a result..."

"Lina? Hair pwetty?" Aisha looked up at Rostelina.

Rostelina laughed and said, "Almost done, Sweetie. Wait a bit longer."

"Kay~"

Ghyslaine looked at Aisha and shook her head. "I'm still surprised that Paul's whelps are so well-behaved."

Zenith snorted. "Don't take Aisha as the standard. She's just playing nice right now because she wants to be pampered."

"Noooo." Aisha pouted and said, "Mama lie! No lisen! Ai good girl!"

Ghyslaine hummed and then looked at Norn. "Considering how you seem to be pampering your child..."

"Hm?" Zenith tilted her head while preening Norn's hair. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Norn struggled to get out from Zenith's grasp, looking at Ghyslaine with pleading eyes.

"...Or perhaps you are smothering her instead with your love."

Zenith gasped and let her grip loosen. "Sorry, Nornie! Did Mama hug you too tight again?"

Ghyslaine blinked. "Again...?"

Norn squirmed away from Zenith and then moved to Ghyslaine, holding up her arms. "H-Hep me? Up?"

Ghyslaine let out a warm smile and then lifted Norn up to sit on her lap.

Norn let out a sigh and then leaned back, relief on her face.

Zenith pouted. "Why does everyone keep stealing my cute Nornie away from me?"

Rostelina laughed and said, "Too much love can smother a child you know? You've got to give just the right amount of care, love, and attention. Take it from an experienced mother."

Zenith blinked and then looked at Rostelina in confusion. "What do you mean experienced-" She paused and then said, "Oh. Of course... Wait. You raised your children?"

Rostelina huffed. "Rude. I'm no heartless vixen. Even if I like..." She glanced at Aisha and Norn and said, "Even with my past, I made sure to raise my children up well to adulthood. The only one who I didn't was Laws, but there were complicated circumstances around that."

Zenith's eyes lit up and she said, "Then... Do you plan on staying in Buina village longer? Because Lily and I could use some help and pointers on how to raise children."

Rostelina finished braiding Aisha's hair and set her down. "There you go, Sweetie."

Aisha giggled and said, "Tank you! I show Mama!" With that, she ran off back into the house.

Zenith frowned and said, "Be careful, Aisha!"

"Kay! I kayful Mama Seni!" Saying that with a small wave, Aisha continued on her way.

Zenith sighed. "That girl has too much energy sometimes."

Rostelina laughed and said, "Children tend to be that way, yes. And I didn't plan to stay very long, but my man's busy with his own thing right now..." She tapped her finger on her chin and said, "I suppose it's better if I stay in a place where he can pick me up later."

Ghyslaine looked over at Rostelina and raised an eyebrow. "You have another mate, Elina- Lina?"

Rostelina giggled and placed her hands on her cheeks. "He's a very manly man. But he's also very private... Maybe I'll bring him to meet everyone after the kids are grown up."

Zenith blinked. "You have more kids already?"

Rostelina paused and then puffed her cheeks. "No. Though not for lack of trying... I meant your kids."

Zenith blinked again. "...Huh?"

Rostelina waved her hand. "It's complicated. Magic and a bunch of other things are involved, so we'll have that conversation later. But anyway..." She leaned forward and said, "So I heard that you're pregnant again, Zenith?"

Zenith blushed.