If the angel's intent was to fill Fen's heart with pride, then she was successful. He was beaming from ear to ear as she reminded him of the start of their adventures together. Still, he was determined be an even better brother than before.

What he had thought was going to be a bit of innocent gossip turned out to be a much more tragic tale. Fenriz had either been a pat of, or heard of many tragedies in his life, far too many given how short a life it had been up to this point. But hearing Sanyi's backstory was something he could particularly empathize with, as both of them had been forcibly separated from people that cared about them. Though, at very least in Fenriz's scenario he hadn't be separated by kidnapping, and had retained his freedom throughout. For this, Fenriz felt a tinge of sorrow for Sanyi. Still, the story seemed to at very least have a happy ending, a fact that made him feel a bit more optimistic about his own quest. The fact that Raziel seemed to have a role in this conclusion gave him a renewed sense of pride in calling her his sister.

He was about to question exactly what that role was when the feeling of a hand atop his head stopped him, further ruffling his already messy hair. Looking up revealed that it was Sanyi, returning from her brief excursion elsewhere. In one night it seemed he had gone from zero sisters to two. Of course in actuality the relationship he shared with the two of them was vastly different. But he looked forward to getting to know this sister as well as he knew Raziel.

"I promise to be a good brother to you, too" the boy said with a smile, approving of the new relationship between Sanyi and himself, the conflicted feelings he held toward her seemingly evaporating just like that.

Raziel's compliments caused the cheek her hand was placed on to turn a light pink, very clearly unused to the praise. Unused to it, he enjoyed it all the same, basking in the compliments with a smile. "T-thanks! Your eyes are…"

He trailed off as he began to realize something mid sentence. There had only been once occasion in which he knew Raziel to be able to see anything, and even then it was only for brief moments at a time, and a noisy and crowded place like a tavern certainly would've been too much for her to handle. Not to mention even she insisted herself earlier this night that she was still blind. But here she was, describing exactly what he looked like. Was it possible?

"Raziel… can you see me?" Glazing over the fact that this was the first time he had addressed her as just Raziel, Fen moved as close to her, putting his face as close to hers as he could physically manage. His eyes studied hers, as if a closer examination would reveal whatever force was granting her this newfound ability. "H-how can you do that? Did someone give you new eyes? They sure look the same…"

When they had first met, and he had first learned of her inability to see, he just barely resisted the urge to wave his hand in front of her face. This time however he couldn't help but give in to the temptation. As he continued his amateur investigation of her newfound eyesight, he slowly moved his palm back and forth between both of their faces, as if he was testing whether or not she truly could see.

After this continued for a while, Fenriz felt a hand on his shoulder. In the excitement of learning that Raziel could see, he had nearly forgotten about Sanyi. Also forgotten to all that had happened was the fact that he hadn't shared his story at all, and there was a lot to tell. But for the moment, that would have to wait. With a very serious look in upon her face, Sanyi mentioned a favor.

Maybe she did not wish to alarm the boy, but that was not to be, for as soon as she mentioned Raziel was sick, calling Fenriz alarmed would have been an understatement. Raziel immediately insisted that she was fine, though this did little to convince him. As they bantered back and forth, Fenriz listened, but didn't take his gaze off of Raziel, a mixture of concern and frustration on his face. That was until Sanyi said something that made Raziel turn red.

"Wait, who is Zehrill?" Fen stood up in his seat as he asked. He leaned on the table, his inquisitive stare could no doubt be felt even through the wings that covered her face. A sly grin on his face as the mischievous child within him once more making itself manifest "C'mon sis, you told me about Ensarrian, it's only fair, right?"

Speaking of Ensarrian gave the boy an idea. Turning to Sanyi, he said "Sanyi, you know who Zehrili is, right? If Raziel doesn't eat her food, will you tell me about him?"

Before they had made it to the tavern, Fen had made Raziel promise him that she would share her journey in addition to sharing his. Despite not sharing a word of what had led him here, he had learned a great deal about Raziel in their time apart, and he was loving every moment of it. The moment had present him a surprisingly rare chance in his life, the opportunity to be… a kid. Never would he have guessed it was an opportunity he was missing so much.

Sanyi gave him a smile at the promise, making one to herself. The feeling of protecting something so pure seemed almost overwhelming from her, a feeling that Raziel could not agree with more. But what happened next seemed to be the most precious. Fenris trailed off in his sentence, realization lighting his face as he worked through exactly what she had said. He moved so their noses were practically touching as he studied her eyes. Raziel had to fight the desire to burst into a fit of giggles. "No, they're my eyes," she teased. She blinked each time his palm moved before her, until she caught his hands and inspected them with a gasp. "Fenris! After dinner, it's straight to a bath with you!"

Then she released him, a single hand reaching up to her neck, following a chain that hung deep into her clothing. The angel pulled it out to reveal a little dragon encircling a polished gem. "This was made from Ensarrian's scale. It allows me to tap into his gifts, temporarily. It allows me the gift of wyvern sight. That is how I can see you." Sanyi gave him a moment to inspect the pendant before interrupting with her favor of ensuring Raziel ate. She could feel the child's eyes staring at her as they bantered. Then Zehrili came up, and of course he was curious about him. Fenris stood on his chair, leaning heavily on the table, his gaze boring straight through her.

"Just a guy who helped me," she replied weakly, attempting to make light of the topic entirely. But, Fenris does not give in easily, as he turned to Sanyi for the details he craved. Raziel burst from her wings and slammed her hands on the table. "Don't you dare!" But it was too late, she could sense the mischievousness within the wyvern rising dangerously. "Oh, you know… Damsel found herself in distress, handsome Zehrili came as her knight in shining armor. He valiantly threw his life on the line to save our angel here," Sanyi was, to Raziel's surprise, a captivating story teller, with emotion fluctuating just so to draw the excitable child into her words. "But, while he was leading the fair damsel from harm's way did a mighty foe attack! The thirty foot reptile came at them, growling and snapping. It caught Zehrili on the arm and wasn't going to let go." Her arm was held out, with the other hand grasping at her elbow, a look of alarm on her face.

Sanyi pantomimed pulling a dagger from its sheath from her side. "With a mighty stab from his weapon, coated in deadly venom, Zehrili slew the beast. But there were more coming, drawn to wolf, angel and hero in their struggles. Raziel opened a portal so they could escape, but she was sick, and needed rest. So the noble Zehrili took her home, to my allies, to save her. Since then, he hasn't hardly left her side." Defeated, Raziel slumped into her chair, hiding behind her wings again. "Because the healer all but ordered it." The wyvern shrugged. "If you ask me, she's testing you through Zehrili. Your skill we've raved about. She wrote him off as your patient, but it's too minor for accuracy. Now eat, or I'm not going to ask to bring you out of their clan again. You'll be stuck waiting until Monifa gives you the all clear." She had half a mind to refuse. Being in Amen-Ra's clan was not so bad. The people there were nice, and he was there… But, an impressionable child was also present. Moaning in protest, Raziel sat up, carefully reached out for her bowl, slid it closer and began to eat

Fenriz couldn't help but giggle slightly every time she blinked, the involuntary reaction only causing him to continue the hand waving much longer than he originally intended. If there were any remaining doubts about her vision, this little game of his had certainly assuaged them. It wasn't long however before he realized his sister's new found ability to see was potentially a double edged sword.

Catching his hand with her own, Raziel looked over his palms, and was seemingly unimpressed by what she saw, insisting that he bathe as soon as the meal concluded. He groaned and pouted at the idea, attempting to persuade her against it non verbally, but offered no vocal protest as he knew it was likely a fruitless endeavor. The pouting continued until the angel had produced pendant from her clothing. Fenriz examined the gem with curious eyes, though they were on to other topics by the time he could ask any of the questions developing in his head.

Fenriz's once more took his seat with a grin, his impish plan having worked to perfection as Sanyi launched into her story despite Raziel's protests. Between the two of his elder sisters, Sanyi certainly seemed to have the looser tongue, a note that he no doubt was keeping in mind for future inquiries. But in addition to being fairly forthcoming with information, she seemed to have a knack for storytelling, and it wasn't long before she had Fenriz hooked on each and every word. He covered his mouth with both hands after an audible gasp when she mentioned the giant reptile latching on to Zehrili's arm, his vivid imagination filling in the details that Sanyi's reenactment could not. His small body acting of its own volition leaned forward when the "dagger" was introduced, wide eyes glued on the wyvern as he awaited what came next.

When the story came to an end, the boy couldn't help but clap, as if he had just witnessed a professional performance conclude right before his eyes. Although he had yet to meet this Zehrili, Fenriz couldn't help but feel an immense gratitude toward him, as if Sanyi was to be believed, Raziel wouldn't be here without his help. In addition to feeling grateful however, Sanyi's story made him feel somewhat nostalgic. He placed a finger to his cheek as he tried to recall where he had heard such a similar story.

"So sis, is Zehrili gonna marry you?" A loaded question to be sure, and seemingly out of nowhere to anyone that wasn't Fenriz. But he did have his reasons "My mom told me a story about a knight once. He saved this damsel just like you, and mom said that he got to marry her!"

Hopping out of his seat once again, he excitedly ran over to Raziel, looking up at her with a wide, innocent smile "When you guys get married I can go, right? I've never really been to a party like that before, but it sounds like a lot of fun!"

The sole married couple in his life were his parents, though what exactly that entailed he never quite knew. All he had managed to gather was that a party seemed to be involved, and following it the couple in question were supposed to spend a lot of time together. Remembering that detail brought on another worrying thought. His childish smile quickly morphed into a frown.

"You guys didn't get married without me, did you? Is that the real reason you guys spend so much time together?"

—
After some time had passed, the boy had been given the floor to tell of his adventures that had led him to this point. Crossing his legs in his seat and putting a hand to his chin, he pondered the best starting point for his tale "After we split up I went to go look for my parents some more. I overheard some guys talking about a city that uh… people like me usually hung out at, so I hid out on a boat that traveled up there. Have you ever seen a ghoul? They're really scary. A bunch of them tried to kill me before I got to the city. Luckily there was another guy there to help me out, though he was kinda scary too…"

He fell silent a moment, rubbing his arm gently. Retelling the story was a reminder that he didn't make it out of this fight unscathed. It wouldn't be the first time he would find himself injured, although this story had a happy ending, at least. Perking right back up, the boy continued his unfocused retelling of his story "But I managed to trap the biggest one with my magic! Even though I didn't know it was mine at the time. Oh! I didn't show you my magic did I? Watch this!"

Without leaving his seat, he pointed a palm at the shadow being cast by his chair. The shadow split in two, both shapes twisting and turning until they morphed into separate animals, that of a small bird and an even smaller butterfly. After taking shape, they both took on a third dimension, as tangible as the real things, although unlike an actual bird the shadow fowl was entirely silent, and both were partially transparent. Using only his mind, her commanded the bird to land atop Sanyi's head, while simultaneously instructing the butterfly to perch on Raziel's nose. Pleased with his work, he clapped his hands together, smiling proudly. His stunt had attracted a bit of attention, though most patrons that witnessed his trick reacted with mild amusement.

"It turns out I can control the shadows! There's a lot of other cool stuff I can do with them, but this is my favorite! I can't do it too much otherwise I get really… tired" It was, of course, far too late to hide his vampire nature from Raziel. But he didn't dare directly mention his nature, or his feeding habits aloud. If anyone was aware that there may be more ears on your conversation than you might expect, especially in a tavern, it was Fenriz. Although it did only just occur to him that there was one at their table that hadn't been informed of what he was. Staring at Sanyi he wondered how long it might be before they inevitably had to have that conversation. Could he still call her a sister after that point? Only time would tell.

What Sanyi had failed to mention was that Zehrili had risked his life to save Raziel from drowning. The marshes had a knack for sweeping away unsuspecting travelers with a sudden rush in the current. However, as the angel was slowly working on her food, it was her turn to choke at Fenriz’s next question, the wyvern laughing almost hysterically as she patted Raziel on the back. ”They should!” Raziel pushed Sanyi off as she squeaked her answer. ”No!” Despite the fact that she was still very red, she turned a serious face to the vampire. ”One does to marry someone they just met. In the story your mother told you, they had time to court and get to know one another.”

Fenriz hopped out of his seat and was standing next to her, excited as he placed his hands on her arm. She softened her expression, a gentle smile on her face. ”Don’t worry, Fenriz. I’ll do everything I can to make sure the wedding happens,” Sanyi promised. Another question popped out before she could answer the first, as per usual with the boy. ”If and when I ever do get married, I expect to see you in the front row. Otherwise, I promise to hunt you down to the end of the earth and throttle you myself.” Her smile turned into a playful smirk before she pulled him into a hug. Once more, after he pulled back from the embrace, a hand cupped one of his cheeks as she tried to get her answer together before giving it to him. ”But, no, baby brother. We are not married. He’s been my patient and my guardian. Zehrili was instructed to ensure I rest as much as possible due to being sick.”

It was finally time to hear his adventures, Fenriz dancing around the word of his nature. Sanyi inquired through their bond, and Raziel answered in kind. ”Kurayo, right?” Raz asked softly. The angel frowned at the word “kill”, but remained silent as he continued to speak. Even when he fell silent, the women patiently waited for the next part. Again, her amulet was activated, allowing her the chance to watch what Fenris wanted her to see. At first, she was unsure what it was she was looking at until Sanyi stood and moved so she could watch as well. ”Shadows,” she whispered to Raziel as the split shadow began to take shape.

Raziel blinked at the butterfly, while Sanyi carefully cupped her hands around the bird for a closer inspection. ”I know this one… It’s… It’s… a fairy dragonfly?” Instead of laughing as she would have before, the wyvern brought the bird down to Raziel’s eye level. ”No, I’m pretty sure that’s a butterfly. This looks like a smaller version of Azula, but it’s not an owl. It’s too bent forward, not straight like Azula.” ”Bird, Sanyi.” Sanyi nodded and allowed the shadow-bird to return to her hair as she sat back down. ”Solmundr and his guards were not… very educational,” she explained.

”This is amazing, Fenriz! Okay, so here’s what’s going to happen. After story time, and of course this meal, we will all head back to the clan, get bathed, and take care of your fatigue. Chances are, you can meet Zehrili tonight. And Monifa. One will scrutinize my prolonged visit here, the other… Meh,” Raziel shrugged. She lifted a finger and coaxed the butterfly onto it instead, pulling it away from her face so she could focus her vision easier. ”So, after Kurayo and the ghoul attack, what else happened? Have you found your parents yet? Made any new friends?” The way he was staring at Sanyi caught the angel’s attention, causing the woman to share a look. Sanyi gave a slight inclination of her head toward Fenriz. ”Fen… There are no secrets between her. She and I are… bonded. Like Azula is to me, so is Sanyi. With it comes a few perks, and as such, Sanyi already knows. So you don’t have to worry, okay?”

Much like Sanyi before her, Raziel seemed to have trouble eating as soon as he asked her a question. And just like with Sanyi, Fenriz found himself equally as confused by the reaction. Fortunately this time he was given a bit more elaboration. With a reddened face the angel tried to explain that it took far more time for two people to be reading for marriage, although Sanyi seemed to contradict it by promising they would be wed. Which of the two he was correct he couldn't say, but the interaction made him chuckle all the same.

Raziel pulled the boy in for a hug, which he accepted with little objection. He kept his arms around her for a while, allowing him both a moment of serenity and a chance to collect his thoughts. When they separated, he smiled widely at her.

"When you get married, I wouldn't miss it for the world! No hunting necessary" he placed a particular emphasis on the 'when', though whether he was that confident in Raziel's ability to find a spouse, or Sanyi's promise to see her wed to Zehrili, was up for interpretation "But if I ever get married you have to be at my wedding too, okay?"

Imitating what he had seen others do when someone was ill, he somewhat suddenly placed a hand on the angel's forehead, though what he was checking for he wasn't sure. As far as he was capable of telling nothing felt immediately abnormal about his "patient", so with a satisfied smile he returned to his chair, pushing Raziel's meal back toward her before offering his cheerful diagnosis

"But nobody is allowed to be at my wedding while sick, and that includes you Raziel. So you better eat, or I'll have to go find Mister Zehrili myself!" he teased.

He did his best to attempt to suppress a laugh as they examined the shadows he had summoned, though this was only mildly successful. Audible giggles escaped his lips when his lavender haired sister described the shadow insect as a 'fairy dragonfly'. It was fortunate that Sanyi seemed capable of correcting her as Fenriz was far too busy fighting back laughter to do so himself. But Sanyi herself was not without struggle, failing to identify the bird he had created for her. Sanyi putting the bird back on her head nearly broke the dam holding his childish cackling, but he managed to stay strong, though he was in no hurry to remove the shadow animal from the wyvern's hair.

The boy groaned when she mentioned bathing, hopeful that by now she had forgotten about it, but the night was still young. Even if she did remember, it was a small price to pay for the opportunity to get to see the clan with his own eyes. In particular, getting to meet Zehrili. Even in his absence, Fenriz had a growing list of questions he wanted to ask him, some of which would likely not be Raziel approved if her earlier reaction was any indication. But even more, he really wanted to express his thankfulness for saving his best friend.

It was a large weight off of his small shoulders to know that Sanyi was aware of his vampirism, even more so that Sanyi didn't seemed bothered by it. In a different scenario he would've certainly inquired about their connection, but from the moment Raziel had questioned if he found his parents, the boy's mood seemed to change almost entirely, as if he had only just been reminded that he still hadn't been united with his family. He put on a brave smile for Raziel, though his eyes certainly showed a different story

"I haven't found my parents, no. I went to go find them in Kurayo, but they weren't there. I looked all over…" At the end of his statement, his smile faded slightly. He pulled his legs onto his chair, wrapping his arms around them before resting his chin on his knees "I was pretty certain they'd be there, too. I saw a bunch of people like me, but none of them were my mom or dad…"

He stopped and lingered in silence for a moment, before suddenly perking up upon remembering another detail of that trip "I did meet another vamp- lady like me, though. We didn't spend a lot of time together but she was really nice! She helped me out of the tavern I was in when a fight broke out. After I went to try and find my parents, and even though I didn't find them I did meet up with someone who was a friend of theirs, though he was kind of… weird"

Fenriz released himself from his self-hug and sat up in his seat, returning his legs to their crossed position. Staring off into the distance as he attempted to recall the details of this particular encounter "I guess he recognized the mark on my arm and said he used to work with mom and dad. He promised that he'd take me back to them. At first he was really nice! He made sure I was… well fed for a few days. But he really wanted to make sure I didn't leave his house until he made sure he knew where my parents were. He wrote them a letter, but he never sent it. I guess he didn't know where to send it cuz he didn't know where they were either. Even though he was really nice to me, I wasn't really allowed to go anywhere, and it got really boring. I snuck out one night, though I did take his letter with me. I was gonna give it to mom and dad when I find them. I should still have it…"

Pulling a crumpled and worn paper from his satchel, he handed what was his own ransom letter to Raziel, hoping she could make better sense of it than he could "I read it what I could, but I don't really understand it. But I know he was asking for a lot of money to have me brought to them. Do you think that my parents are maybe offering a reward for people who help me?"

The angel could not help but chuckle softly at Fen’s request of being at his wedding. She heard of half vampire children, those born from the union with a vampiric parent, typically grew to a full adult. However, children turned into a vampire typically did not grow any older than when their mortality perished. Raziel did not want to burst his bubble on this information just yet, and thus simply agreed to be there, making a mental note on how to break the news to him later.

When she inquired about his parents, Raziel instantly felt the mood shift. It was vastly different from the laughter and giggles from earlier. Now, it was as if a shadow descended upon them, weighing down specifically on Fenriz. He launched into his story. She could hear the sadness drip from his voice, the childish disappointment of not finding those he loved dearly. As he fell into silence, both wyvern and angel remained silent in empathic mourning. They both shared a quest with him where they found disappointment when searching for someone important.

It reassured the angel to know that he had found others like him, others who can show him that even though he was a feared creature of the night, they didn’t have to be the monsters' mortals shunned. They can be nice, kind, compassionate, and altogether good. Raziel’s eyebrow quirked at the word “weird”. Usually, that did not bode well. Fenriz was recognized as a member of his parents’ bloodline, their clan, and taken care of but essentially held prisoner. Unfortunately, the so-called generous stranger did not know where his parents were either.

Raziel felt the crumpled paper in her hands and began to smooth it out. ”Fenriz, even if I activated my eyesight, I still can’t read,” she giggled. ”Don’t look at me! Captive torture victims didn’t get the luxury to read, so I’m still learning myself.” With a knowing smile, Raziel reached into her pouch and pulled out a small orb. It fit comfortably in the palm of her hand. ”Viki?” The orb began to glow a soft blue and lifted from her hand, hovering over it. ”Good day, Raziel. You have completed all your appointments. Do you wish to set one for a future date?”

”No, Viki. I need you to read my letter for me.” Raziel replied. Viki the orb moved to hover over the letter, its soft light illuminating it. After a moment, Viki’s magical voice began to read the letter aloud.

"Attention Hawthornes,
Listen carefully! I have your son in my possession. He is safe and unharmed, and will remain so if you follow my instructions exactly. You must gather seventy five percent of all your valuables and coin in burlap bags. You must bring these bags to Crescent Plaza in Kurayo. In the Northwest corner, behind the Parvpora statue is a barrel. Place the bags into this barrel.


Once the task is complete, you must leave the Plaza. The next day, at noon, your boy will be found at the base of the fountain in the center. His life is in your hands, Hawthornes.”

Sanyi and Raziel both paled as they listened. ”Fenriz… The man who took you in… He wasn’t a nice man.” She wanted to take Fenriz and never let him leave her side again. It was one of the only ways she could think of to protect him from such monstrous acts. ”He wasn’t asking for money, he was demanding it… If they didn’t comply… He was going to kill you, Fenriz. You have to be more careful! Please, you must understand, not everyone who is nice is genuine. It can be a trick to get you to trust them, so they can do bad things.” Raziel blindly reached out for him. ”I don’t ever want to hear about anything awful happening to you, because I just love you too much. Promise me you’ll be more careful, that you’ll try to stay safe.”