It was cool amongst the crisp orange leaves of Jasumin Lake, but of course it was. The mellow atmosphere and luxurious chill in the air due to its eternal autumn was one of many reasons he had lived here for so long. Of course, now his airship was safely hidden through a series of locks and portals in Suisho no Kyuden, but he still remembered well his time spent living here before ascension or marriage. His eyes softened as he looked out on the water, leaning back comfortably against the damp bark of a tree. This hadn’t just been his home, it was where he and Echo had been wed, and he absentmindedly spun the ring on his left hand.

So many pleasant memories here. He looked towards the east and a small but mischievous smile graced his lips; brief as a kiss. The Silver Wheel Roadhouse was in that direction, and he chuckled thinking back to the strange honeymoon the two of them had there. Not every couple could boast that they’d stayed in a haunted inn for their first time away as a married couple, but then the two of them always were odd. Really it was fitting for the two monster hunters. His gaze faltered for a split second. Former hunter, he was no longer a hunter. Echo could come and go with jobs as she pleased which he was grateful for, but he still longed for those days. Lately the pair were so wound up in parenthood that there was hardly time for that anyways.

Though the triplets, being the eldest of their children, were just past their fifth birthdays now. All of them were gifted in their own ways, but he worried their eldest son, Mica, would struggle the most. The young boy didn’t seem cut out for the type of harsh life his parents had flourished in. And while he had it in him to be powerful even without the deity blood flowing through his veins, if that wasn’t the life for him…then it wasn’t the life for him. What type of man would he grow up to be…? Being the eldest male had its pressure, so for now he wanted to make sure all of them had a happy life: nothing less.

His eyes softened as he thought of Hibiki, who he doubted would ever wield a blade, at least not any time soon. She looked so much like her mother, but for all of Echo’s outgoing nature and laughingly loud personality, tiny Hibiki was every bit shy. Thankfully Haruka had enough personality for the entire family, and at this rate he just wanted to make sure she kept her feet on the ground rather than hovering over it. He sighed, eyes closing as a more comfortable smile replaced the previously youthful one. Many things had changed in such a short amount of time, that was for sure…but he wouldn’t have altered a single occurrence.

Eldora had decided it was time to take Estelle out on her first official outing with just her mother. It was good to get out of the Cradle every once in a while and Estelle was finally traveling on her own. It took the little girl a bit but rocking herself she finally got past the belly crawling and rolling… Full blown crawling all over the place and getting into things she shouldn’t have.

She was a small petite woman with long black hair. Those bright oceanic eyes that moved with waves and her dark Rosenite skin. Even her dress was a midnight blue that haltered around her neck and had a deep dip down her cleavage. She was Chaos’s daughter in law but not many could see Xunatar in little Estelle.

Estelle was shades lighter than her mother with bright life filled blue eyes. A bunch of curly thick black hair was on her head. Squeals left her lips as she crawled along the golden grass. Eldora was just a little bit behind her ready to scoop her up should she become troubled. This was good for her, not the madness of the Cradle.

Estelle crawled her way through the grass and finally found a man… Eldora knew of this man from the rumors but said nothing as Estelle continued to go towards him. Her loud squeals let him know of her presence. She plopped by him and proceeded to put his pant leg in her mouth… Eldora didn’t know why the little girl liked putting clothing in her mouth but she was still getting her teeth in. It probably felt good. “Estelle that is rude…” Eldora’s voice was so soft as she came over. “Drop it.”

Estelle looked up at her mother removed the pant leg from her lips and grunted loudly at her mother. “MA MA MA MA MA.” It was sass.

“No buts.” It was almost like the mother knew what the girl was getting at as the baby tried to put the pant leg back in her lips. “I said no… He isn’t your papa.” The little girl grunted. She probably felt the same power from Naota as she did from Xunatar… Smart little one that she was, this made her trouble. “I am sorry… I am unsure why she is being persistent about this.” Still, Eldora did not remove her daughter from the man she merely watched to see what the girl would do next.

After only a few minutes he heard shuffling through the leaves. It didn’t bother him since this was a regularly visited area, but he still took a peek with his other sight. His eyes stayed closed, but the world showed itself to him in varying hues: outlining the aura of all living things around him. And just behind and to his right there was a smaller aura crawling quickly towards him. Before he could open his eyes, he felt the familiar pull of hands still learning their motor functions. Small fingers gripped at his pants’ leg which was soon dampened with drool.

He opened his eyes and looked down into a pair of bright blue ones to contrast against his own emerald. His eyebrows rose and likewise so did his gaze when he heard more practiced footsteps accompanied by the recognizable tone of a well-practiced mother. They didn’t seem familiar to him, but he smiled at the interaction between the two, shaking his head and gently waving away her apologies, “It isn’t a bother, really. I have one at home around this age.” Jade was also well in her stages of teething, which is what it seemed like this new little one was doing.

“She’s teething I take it?” he softly chuckled and a soft cold pillow appeared between his fingers. It was barely the size of his palm, and was still frosted over with a layer of ice. The enchantment kept it soothingly cold without going rigid: perfect for teething. “What should I call you?” he asked the young woman. As he spoke he gently flattened his pants leg and brushed the edge of the cool pillow against the child’s lips to coax her into using that instead.

Eldora looked up at him and she was stoic even more so than most people. To most, she would appear doll-like and unusual. There were few people in this world that understood Eldora. In her arms was a small lifelike version of Xunatar. It looked exactly like him and while it was a favorite of Estelle to look at she was not allowed to touch it. It was a tool and Eldora could not allow it to be damaged. “Still, my apologies. She is developing much faster than Angela has predicted.” She didn’t mean to name drop but it was uncharacteristic of her to lie even though she was an oracle to the God of Lies.

Eldora gave a little nod as he asked. “Has been for a bit now… Her teeth are bigger thanks to her father’s partial lycanthrope blood. Made her growing fast as well.” Estelle took the pillow with ease from him and inspected it. Her gums went on it almost immediately once he helped coax her. A pleased grunt and coo left her lips and she sat there for a long time just suck and biting at it. “Eldora Rose. Most just call me Eldora.”

Estelle proceeded to drop the pillow and put the pant leg back in her mouth. “Estelle… he is not your grandfather… I apologize again. You are Naota… She must associate your power as a god with him. She is very smart like that.” Eldora’s eyes stayed on the child.

Angela. His eyebrows rose in curiosity, wondering if The Mother had a hand in this child’s birth. Sometimes she could underestimate her own power with fertility and his own wife was a testament to that. A beautiful testament and a happy one at that, but he still remembered the blood chilling night of their first-born children’s coming into the world. He looked down at the little one as she began to gum at the teething pillow, satisfied briefly before returning to his pants’ leg.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he resigned himself to being a teething tool instead. “Lycanthrope you say?” He looked up at her again, only this time he caught sight of the doll in her arms. It was only for a second, unnoticeable, but his gaze did linger there before continuing up to her face. The figure was unmistakably that of Xunatar, and he wondered with only slight caution if she was a follower. If so, she was at least very civil…no use in making the situation an awkward one, so he opted not to bring up the doll. People could follow whomever they wanted.

“Well, let us all hope that she’ll be taking all of his traits in just as healthy of a stride.” His eyes softened, knowing full well that the life of a half-blood was not necessarily a fun one. After all, he was one himself…or, he had been before ascending. Those years were neither easy or pleasant, but he’d persevered. This little one had the same potential. His fingers moved down and he touched the edge of the spot she was teething at his pants’ leg on. As he did so, he sent a chill through, making that section icy and cool to her sore gums so that she could still have the soothing effect while keeping to her own wants.

When she spoke her name he couldn’t help the laugh that followed, “A-A Rose? Would that be in relation to Angela’s ever-expanding family?” He shook his head, gently waving his fingers, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, I just find myself in their midst often and without notice so much that I can’t help it…” Well, she was the goddess of fertility for a reason.

“Ah that could be it…” he spoke in response to her pointing out of his similar power. She had recognized him, but he wasn’t too surprised as there were just as many that did know him by sight alone as those that did not. But now he was left to wonder, “If I may be so bold, who is her grandfather…?” Even while asking it, he felt he already knew the answer.

“Aye, her father is half lycanthrope… Technically Estelle is of three races.” Eldora saw him looking at the doll. More so the doll made it known he was staring as it let out a scream before she quieted down. “I know…” She pet the hair of the door and hummed softly as Estelle looked up at the doll. She was used to it screaming so she just kept chewing on the now cold pant leg.

“She has many traits that I wish for her to gain slowly if not at all.” Eldora was an honest soul even if she didn’t know the god. “However, it will be alright as I’m sure she will learn easily.” It was troubling but they would come to that when Estelle got there if she did.

She tilted her head. “I am her niece actually. My mother is the bitch Cyprus, you must have heard of her if you know my aunt…” There was a sense of regal when Eldora spoke but there was also emptiness whenever it wasn’t a subject of her husband or child.

“I know you because I see you in my dreams Naota. I have seen many, many things… I feel what most feel. I know the future before it is there.” There was a reason why she was accepted as one of Xunatar’s daughter in laws. She was strong. “Her grandfather is Xunatar, god of chaos and deceit. I am Xunatar’s Chaos Oracle… I am married to his eldest son Steele. And Estelle is the prodigy child… A good addition to his bloodline so he says. He is very pleased with how strong she is.”

The doll screamed and his eyes widened and flickered down to it, though no one else seemed to be even slightly perturbed by the fact. Was that considered normal? He tried not to think too much on what the implications were of that and instead returned his attention to Eldora.

She continued on, speaking of how Angela was her aunt and he nodded slowly and knowingly at her mention of Cyprus: a subject he had yet to breach too often. So many of The Roses and their kin more spat the woman’s name than spoke it, and that was more than enough to tell someone not to harp on such a person as the main subject, “It’s hard to have a relationship with any of The Roses and not have heard her name uttered, even if more often than not the tone is laced in acid.”

His eyebrows furrowed, her explanation of knowing him through her dreams causing him to feel more troubled than curious. Though he was curious, just not in the usual lighthearted way he was with most things in life. When the chosen oracle of a deity that sits so far from you on the spectrum sees you in their dreams, it doesn’t leave one feeling comforted, even if it was possible he was only in the background.

That said enough in itself, for as much as he did not personally want to have any form of relationship with Xunatar, he knew the man didn’t suffer weakness and would only keep someone strong for personal use. She was powerful, and without realizing it invisible wards and guards formed themselves around his mind. He’d had to share every thought with Minasé until the two were separated, needless to say he was adept at locking his mind away from others as he had no taste for being read or intruded.

“I do hope that any dream you’ve had where I was there happened to be a particularly dull and boring one.” He smiled gently, but each word he spoke was true. While he had a healthy enough alliance with many of the conclave save for Xunatar, there was still a great part of himself he kept voluntarily distant, and for good reason. When that much power goes around each other, great things can happen but that doesn’t mean they don’t also have the potential to be great and terrible things. Angela was the only one that had kept the door more than cracked, in fact, she seemed to blast the door off its hinges every time he put a new one up. The crack was a bit wider for Drae too…

He gently patted the soft wilted leaves next to him, “Come, sit with me for a little while. Maybe even tell me about some of those dreams of yours.” His head tilted to the side, “Xunatar or not, having a position such as that must be draining and create so much pressure. I commend you for handling it.” Even from childhood he had never been envious of oracles. To outsiders they must have been seen as royalty depending on those they worked for, but his young eyes couldn’t help but see invisible shackles. At least they were accommodated, and for the most part appeared at least outwardly content, some even happy.