”What the hell is going on?” The woman was standing against the working counter in front of her while staring down at the fresh herbs she had just picked. They were wilting before her eyes that did not match up with anything she had seen before. This was something that had been happening more frequently in the past couple of days. Teu rubbed her temple in attempt to push away the frustration and the headache that constantly was pushing at the edges of her mind. It was difficult to keep her head on straight when her daughter was now blind. Not only blind, but had been brought home after a length of torture that neither herself nor her friend could allow themselves to talk about. It had taken everything in her willpower to hold back a furious transformation into her diowolf. Kieran…well that was another topic all together.

Hand slapped down on the counter as the anger began to build up in her again. A breathing technique was employed in order to keep the shadows from clouding the shop. She had to keep her composure considering how full the shop and home had become. Luna and her children were staying with the Balatro’s while she worked in the apothecary. It was good to have an extra set of hands while Alairia was re-learning how to interact with the world around her. Then there was Raith who remained close to Ria almost constantly. Teu wasn’t sure if it was just out of love for her that he stayed. She felt a sense of guilt radiating off of Luna’s brother, but it was difficult to tell considering how chaotic it was lately.

Teu pushed away from the counter with the herbs in hand. ”These are not viable either. I just harvested them yesterday.” She walked over to where Alairia was sitting at a long high top table in their back storage area. Blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun at her neck. A metal blindfold that was designed to look like delicate crown covered her damaged eyes. Delicate fingers worked to bundle up herbs to be hung and dried out even though they had just been collected. ”It’s like I can feel the life draining from them as they are in my hands. The growing herbs and flowers that had just bloomed smell as if they are already dying. Nothing is making sense, mother.” Ria turned her head towards Teu as if she would be able to look at her mother in the eye while speaking. She was sure that habit would never leave.

Exhaustion could be detected in the woman’s words. Nightmares continued to plague her each night despite the knowing she was safe. There was no more waking up screaming, but now it just kept her up whenever she attempted to get some rest. Xy had gotten what she had wanted. Ria kept busy in hopes that she could push herself into a slumber that not even her mind could disturb her. ”I have heard while I was sitting outside that it is not just here. There seems to be the plains outside the city dying in mass portions. There hasn’t been a drought has there?”

Teu shook her head, but quickly replied verbally. ”No, this doesn’t line up with anything.” Except when DaeLuin was dying.” The thought went through her mind and made a shiver run down her spine in fear. They couldn’t lose another home. There would be nowhere for them to run this time. ”We will just need to stock up quickly, and I don’t know…come up with something to dry these herbs out before they die.” Ria ‘looked’ up at her mother before attempting to find her hand to hold. There was a delicate smile on the blonde elf’s face as she knew the panic in her mother’s voice that was mostly well hidden.

Her arrival to Revaliir had been frightfully eventful - in fact it was everything she had hoped to avoid in her life; everything she had loathed about the life her mother had led… and if she had been more honest with herself Luna would have blamed her mother for the fact that she had suffered all of the events she had so far. She wouldn't have been wrong in that blame, not really, had her mother led a simple life the Gods would not have cast her out of Myna which meant Raith would not have gone looking for her and therefore her father and elder sister would have stayed home as well - maybe if they had all stayed in Myna she would not have lost Marius and been forced to follow after the only family she had left to this Gods forsaken place… 

Sighing heavily the woman tied back her hair and cast a glance at her two youngest children fast asleep and curled up in their wolven forms on the bed with their older sister curled around them. After the attack by the bandits Cora had been more vigilant of watching her youngest siblings; it had frightened the young girl a great deal, more so because her twin had been poisoned - that was the reason they had found themselves this home in the first place in fact. Meeting with Serci had been pure chance while Luna had looked to find the right herbs to slow the poisons journey through her eldest son's system when the herald of Life had found them and done what he could in his weakened state… though she had never expected to hear him inquire as to the crest she wore around her neck - the one thing she had held onto from her mother, the one thing she had ever found comfort in where that woman was concerned had been the pendant in the shape of the family crest… until her brother had managed to sully that for her as well. The pendants magical properties kept it warm when a bloodline was alive; it allowed her to know that her family were alive despite the distance that had been put between them and she had always found comfort in that but seeing the crest carved forever more onto Serci's chest courtesy of her little brother had made her feel nauseous, even more so when Zion had begun to express fascination in his Uncle in ways Luna abhorred. 
Serci had explained that he could not take them where he was going but that he knew of a place they could go and so Luna had gathered her children up and travelled the path to Mamlak as he had instructed until she had found the shop in question. She had spoken with Teu and offered her services as a healer in exchange for room and board for herself and her children - Zion was still weak from the affect of the poison and she was reluctant to carry on searching for her father and Kaya until he was back to full strength. Thankfully Lady Teu was kind and her family accommodating and they had slotted into life swiftly.That was until the curse of her family walked into the shop, beaten and bruised with his lover in tow that just so happened to be Lady Teu's daughter. 

Raith. 

Even thinking her brother's name caused the usually passive woman's lip to curl into a snarl. Why did he have to come here? Why did he have to ruin everything for her when she had finally begun to settle into life in the shop? Kissing her children on their heads Luna left their room; she had work to do and that involved her brother first and foremost… As she left her room she found him lurking in the corridor, his head tilted slightly to one side as though he were listening to something. "What are you doing?" She asked in an exasperated tone as she walked down the corridor to meet him, looking up at her brother with a sigh. 
"Something is wrong with the world… can you not feel it?" He asked; the new found dragon wings twitching restlessly upon his back. Now that had been a surprise - Raith turning up on the doorstep with a new found ability to transform into a Dragon; their childhood had been fraught with problems because he had been able to shift like she and Kaya could and here he was with his own wings. She sneered at them in disgust; her brother was far too like their mother in that respect, he wore them with pride where she preferred her purely Elven form… she hated the fact that her pupils were forever slitted like a Dragon's - that was enough association for her. 
"All I feel is irritable." She answered, taking his elbow and leading him downstairs. 
"Why dearest sister, one would almost believe you despised my presence here in your little world." Raith sneered in return she she glared at him. 
"I never wanted to come to this world; if it wasn't for you and mother I wouldn't have been forced to follow after father and Kaya after Marius' death." She added for what felt like the fifth billionth time. 
"Yes… your husband." He uttered softly and for the first time Luna could have sworn she heard an almost sad note in his voice. Now that he was truly on the mend and spending more time helping Alairia in gaining experience without the use of her eyes he had seemed more reflective and less reactive… had the event of his lover's torture made him see the error of his ways? She doubted it highly, Raith would never change who he was not in all the millennia that he might live… but he might tread more carefully in terms of keeping Alairia safe, even Luna could not deny how much her brother loved the woman…

As they entered the shop proper he pulled away from her; immediately striding to Alairia's side he put his arms around her and his wings, a habit that he had picked up since he had brought her home to her family as though somehow he could envelop her in his love and keep her safe from any further harm… it was something Marius had done to her whenever she had been afraid of anything. "Lady Teu? Raith said that the world feels wrong and if all of the plants are beginning to die…" Luna shivered, why could they not all be left in peace to live their lives without the fear of some catastrophe or other plaguing them? "I might not be able to do much but I can fast dry the herbs with Dragon fire, Cora and Zion can lend a hand in that to save as much of the stock we have as quickly as we can. And Raith, if brother is feeling up to it?" 
"I may not be able to aid you for long periods of time as of yet but short bursts I might well manage. That Angel that ever looms over Lady Teu's shoulder has the smell of Dragon on him maybe he can assist also? Like the good little dog he seems to be." Raith snarled, pressing his face to Alairia's as he held her close. 
Trust her brother… even when he was being cared for he could not remain pleasant for long. 

Before Luna could give him a rebuke the door to the shop opened and rich, melodic laughter drifted through the open door - a laugh that caused both siblings to react immediately. Raith stiffened at the sound of it but Luna gasped, her heart leaping in her chest as she watched her elder sister walk through the door though Kaya was looking over her shoulder. "Well at least you know how to cheer a girl up when she's bringing bad news to people Kiba." Kaya snorted, shoving the handsome man behind her in the chest playfully as she finally turned her gaze to the people within the shop. Kaya stopped dead as she faced her sister; never in a million years would Kaya have thought she would have seen her again - the eldest sister was technically eldest no more as time had marched on in Myna without them and Luna had specifically asked the Gods to send her back to whenever her family had found themselves in whatever world they were in - she was older but they were not. "Luna?" Kaya muttered softly before her gaze fixed on Raith and she scowled, hand immediately shifting to the dagger at her hip. "Raith!" She snarled but thankfully a voice cut her off. 
"Auntie Kaya!" Zion cried and the young boy rushed through the shop, throwing his arms around her waist and holding her tightly, Kaya returning the gesture to a boy she barely recognised while Luna remained frozen in place… of all the days…

Alairia’s body was slowly healing thanks to the workings of her mother and her own skills. Even so, it would not be enough for a permanent healing. She sat silently at the work table that was now arranged for her usage. It had taken some time for Ria to get the strength to leave her bed once Raith and herself had come home. There had been some time that had to be taken in order to allow control over her fingers again. Now, the healer did all she could to keep them in good use. Despite the loss of her sight, the young half elf kept herself in high spirits. If Raith could learn to move through life in such a fluid way without his sight then she could learn to do it as well.

That morning she worked to bundle up as many herbs as possible in hopes to save them for their tonics later. Practice finally paid off as her bundles were becoming more uniform. As Ria sat working on her task, she knew that her mother was at the other work counter. Her senses were becoming keener. With these keener senses she could hear Raith with his sister coming to join them. Head titled down as a weak smile spread across her lips. Little time passed before Raith wrapped her up in his arms along with his newly acquired wings. Hand reached up to traced his jawline before cupping his cheek lovingly. Despite their horrific experience, the pair was as strong as ever.

Teu looked to the siblings as they entered the room though her focus was more on Luna. It was still hard for the mother not to blame Raith for the pain caused to her daughter. She was not going to harp on it, but there was more caution on the fact that targets were placed on her sweet girl. The wolf in her wanted to rip the family’s enemies to pieces. There was a great chance that they would get that opportunity still. ”Yes, we are noticing a drastic change in the plant life. It will cause issues for our stock. If this is an omen to bigger things coming then I feel safer with stocking up on our medicines. Last time this happened her on Revaliir….there was the war with Onnen.” The senior healer rubbed her forehead as if it would push the stress away. She listened to the siblings before nodding her head. ”Dae, bring those other bundles here. We need to get this done sooner rather than later.”

The summons brought forth the young man from the back storage area with a basket full of herbs he had recently brought from the city greenhouse. Once he put it down his hand clapped on Raith’s winged back before taking up a seat near his sister. His dark brown hair was a little messed as he had found himself with little sleep lately. Ria shook her head at her brother before leaning back into her love’s hold.

Conversation came to a halt as the front door of the shop opened with a laughter ringing out. Kiba could be seen behind a woman with a bright smile on his face and shrug of his shoulders. The woman spoke the diowolf’s name that made the Balatro family sit up a little straighter from excitement of seeing their patriarch.

There was a shift in attitude as names were spoken, and immediately Alairia clung to Raith’s arm as she heard his name snarled in such a way She knew not who it was who came in, but that tone was a familiar one when they did not like her boyfriend. ”Please, don’t.” Her voice shook in slight fear to any sort of violence around her. She could not handle any fighting considering the last time she had been used as a butcher’s block. Hands shook as she clung to him. Dae stood up and placed a reassuring hand on his sister’s shoulder before moving around the table to be next to Kiba’s side. ”Grandfather, welcome back!” Dae made sure his voice was light-hearted. He made eye contact with all to establish that this was to be a pleasant meeting. ”Zion, aren’t you excited to see this miss! That’s great. Introduce her to us all, bud.” He ruffled the boy’s hair.

Teu already moved to Luna’s side to hold her arm comforting. ”Are you okay hun? Just keep it calm. That’s my father, Kiba.” She did what she could to explain before giving an adoring smile to her father. What did they get themselves into?  She saw her father give a small shrug of his shoulders just before giving her a reassuring wink.  With that she knew that things would be fine.  Though it was difficult to say at the moment considering the atmosphere.

Something was severely wrong with this world. Raith had been unable to distinguish what had been bothering him of late but something felt… off. The situation with Alairia had settled somewhat; she was healing (thankfully) physically but the mental toll of what that wretched Xyaban had done to his beloved ate at the man’s black heart.
In a world of darkness the only light he had was Ria; she accepted him for what he was, even when Xyaban had taunted Alairia with the fact that he had killed the Dragoness’ mate and ‘son’, even though the woman’s capture and subsequent torture had been his fault (for the aforementioned reasons) she had not hated him merely accepted it. He hated it. Hated that she had been hurt, hated that it was because of him and that he had not been able to spare her the suffering – even now all he could do was hold her and help her transition from being sighted to blind… at least he had skills in that area, he could teach her how to use her other senses just as he did.
The only good thing to come of the entire situation had been the fact that he had somehow unleashed the Dragon from within himself. Wings now displayed proudly, just as his mother did, the man had what he had always craved – the ability to transform into a might Dragon… it had been because of this that they had escaped.

Silence remained ever close to his beloved when Raith was not with her; while the little Dragon was extremely useful Raith had spent enough years without the use of his sight so being blind to his surroundings did not bother him, he would much rather ensure that he had a pair of eyes on Alaria when he was absent from her side.
He heard Luna’s approach before she called out to him; she hated him, loathed the fact that he had come and ruined her perfect little world. A small victory, anything he could do to put a spanner in the works for his family he was glad of. He didn’t particularly hate Luna, of his siblings Luna was the more tolerable of his sisters – she neither loved their mother nor hated her and she was fairly apathetic towards him which suited him just fine as far as he was concerned. As he turned to face her and annoy her with his words he felt his long hair brush against his neck and had to fight the disgust he felt at its touch. He had become disdainful of his long locks since the encounter with Xyaban and he meant to cut them… something he would rectify once Alairia was asleep tonight.

Ordinarily Raith might have continued to push his sister’s buttons but since Ria had been hurt the man had become somewhat more mindful of playing the husband card with Luna – he had heard her tone the first time she had explained why she was in Revaliir, a tone he understood since meeting Ria for he knew that should he ever lose her his life would be left empty – oddly this had been enough to silence his tongue in the matter whenever the conversation drifted to Luna’s former husband.
As soon as they entered the shop he shook Luna’s hand from his arm and immediately made his way to Alairia, gathering the woman in his arms and holding her tight against his body, burying his face in her hair and breathing her scent in deeply as though he might lose himself to it. He could all but feel Teu’s eyes boring into him, he did not need the image from his little companion though that merely confirmed his suspicions.

A small, rare smile crossed his face as Dae clapped him on the back; the dark man nodding his head to the man he strangely had begun to think of as his friend. Dae was Ria’s brother and the only other person who truly understood and accepted him and his nature as he was – in fact the pair were not all that different if they were honest about it, a fact that Luna hated because her eldest son adored the two men so.
His smile was wiped from his face as laughter rang out through the shop – laughter he had not anticipated. Raith’s body stiffened at the sound of it and his lips curled back to reveal the slightly elongated canines as he snarled gently. Of all the people in the world to walk into the shop it would have to be her. Ria’s hand on his arm and her plea immediately quelled the fire rising within him; he wanted to launch himself across the shop and tear his eldest sister apart before she got the chance to do the same to him but he would not risk upsetting Ria further. Holding her tighter he kissed her head and shot his sister a dark smile of satisfaction – she would never have believed he would find someone to love him genuinely, let that be his victory for the moment.

Thankfully for those in the room Zion had entered at the sound of Kaya’s voice; cutting across any hostilities. ”This is my Auntie Kaya!” The young lad announced enthusiastically as he looked up at his beloved Aunt before beaming at Dae. ”Auntie Kaya this is Lady Auntie Teu, she owns the shop, that’s her son Uncle Dae – he’s awesome! That’s Auntie Ria.” He continued, before putting a hand to his mouth and whispering in hushed tones. ”She’s in love with Uncle Raith. Uncle Kieran isn’t here right now but he’s Lady Auntie Teu’s future husband.” The young lad stated with a nod.
”Is he now? Well… that’s good to know. It’s good to see you little one.” Kaya muttered softly as she knelt down to hug her nephew properly, holding him close as she stared at her sister in disbelief.

”Lady Teu let me introduce you to my eldest sister.” Raith said in a semi-sarcastic tone. ”The ever righteous Lady Kaya Silverheart. Tell me dearest sister, to what do we owe this pleasure?” He snarled.
”Oh enough Raith!” Luna snarled at him before looking at Teu apologetically. ”My Lady I am truly sorry for my family and their manners. If there is one thing that we three do not excel at it is remaining civil when in the same room. I told you I had come looking for my family… what I failed to mention was who my family was. My mother, the ever illustrious Kythe Sitari, got herself expelled by the Gods of our world to this one. My father Pol Silverheart and my older sister Kaya here decided to ask the Gods to send them after her once they realised that my brother Raith had come here to try and kill her. I stayed behind in Myna with my family until my husband died at which point the Gods took pity on me and sent me here with the children to find my father and sister. What I had not anticipated was finding my brother first…” The woman sighed heavily, glancing at the doorway. ”Cora come here love…” Luna muttered as she saw her eldest daughter, two wolf pups hanging from her arms.

The girl hurried over and handed Petra and Ivan to her mother as she looked at her Aunt nervously – she had always loved Kaya but it had been some time since they had seen one another. Clinging to her mother’s skirt she blushed and hid her face.
”Luna… I’m… I’m so sorry… about Marius.” Kaya said softly as she stood up, kissing Zion on the head before pushing him gently towards his mother, though the boy immediately took the opportunity to sneak over to his Uncle’s side instead.
”Your pity is not welcome here sister, if you were truly sorry you would not have left our dear Luna alone to suffer the loss now would you?” Raith spat.
”I’m only here because of you.” Kaya snarled angrily.

Family… who needed them…

It had taken some courage for Kiba to invite Kaya to meet his family. To introduce her to them would send a signal to his loved ones that he was open to becoming involved again. Everything had been quite odd for them all when the patriarch had admitted to ending his relationship with Angela’s handmaiden. Even so, Teu and the children had been supportive of his decision. Teu had believed that it had been too soon prior for her father to get into a relationship after the loss of his wife. Memories had been missing, which led to such selections. The nymph was beyond a lovely woman that Teu had been glad could be at her father’s side when she could not be. Even so, Teu was not keen on her father being with another considering the deep love he had harbored Nami. Kiba knew that this introduction would have to be done carefully. Unfortunately, the diowolf was unaware of the other potential chaos that was to await them.

Upon their entering there was a busy sight to greet the pair. A child ran up to Kaya immediately, while the rest of the collected family remained where they were in surprise. It was only the small child and Dae who seemed relatively un-phased by the arrival. Teu gave a glance at the woman who already had Zion on her in a hug. To see her beside her father made her suspicious, but the healer was not going to say a word in respect. There was too much going on as it were.

A blush heated Alairia’s pale cheeks that could be noticed even underneath the silver coverlet over her eyes as Zion made the relationship between herself and Raith known. She had known of the siblings, but never did Ria think that all would come together. Words of derision were thrown back and forth all while attempting to keep the mood even tempered for the sake of the Balatro family. Ria gripped at Raith’s arm a little tighter to pull him against her back closer…if it were even possible. She wanted to feel her around her completely as some anxiety began to well up in her chest. Small breathing techniques were used in an effort to keep the panic at bay.

Dae raised a brow as the triplets made it quite clear how they felt about one another. He couldn’t help but shake his head at each of them before moving over to pick Zion up. The child was held by his stomach under Dae’s arm while legs and arms were dangling towards the floor. ”You are growing kid, come here.” The shadowed man rolled his eyes at the group that were becoming too dramatic for his own liking. He took the boy over to the healing table to flop him down before taking a seat himself out of the way. There was no need to add to the chaos that was already being created.

A gentle hand was placed on Kaya’s arm to pull her closer to Kiba’s side in hopes that it would settle her nerves. Three Balatros did what they could to calm the three angry Sitaris. Anger lingered in the air that felt could be literally cut with a knife. ”ENOUGH!” Alairia cried out as a flash of light almost blinded the room. All looked surprised over towards her as one hand clutched at the fabric of her shirt on her chest while the other dug into Raith to steady herself. Her breathing was erratic from anxiety. Teu left Luna’s side to grab a tonic off a shelf to bring it hurriedly to her daughter. -“Drink this, dear one,”- she instructed with a healer tone.

- “Let’s move to the house where we can get settled and have some lavender tea for everyone’s nerves. Voices must be kept calm for Ria’s sake.” The last statement was made more of a command. Teu would not have her daughter disrupted or put into further despair. All seemed to agree as the mother had Raith bring Ria back to the living room in the house. Kiba escorted Kaya with an arm on her waist to show his support.

Once everyone was settled Teu brought a tray full of tea cups and treats for the young children. There were cookies along with semi-cooked meat for the pups. -“Now, with everyone settled in, let us talk about this. Clearly, there is a problem. One that is an old problem. It involved just your family at first, but now we are involved.”- Her gaze turned to Ria that was curled up tightly against Raith on the couch. -“This bickering…or whatever you want to call this chaos will NOT continue within my home. It has been opened up to you all…but I will not allow it to continue.”-

Kiba’s brows raised at the forcefulness of his daughter, though he couldn’t blame her considering the state that Alairia was in. He had been told of what had happened and the rage had been difficult to settle. Hunting parties had gone out looking for this Xy, but nothing had turned up. His mismatching eyes looked at his granddaughter with sadness at the blindness and mental pain that was set upon her now. ”Yes, let us get this handled now so we may move forward in somewhat peace. There are many tangled up in this, but now it is time to move forward with everything.” The diowolf smiled at Kaya gently in hopes that she could make an effort to move on. He glanced over at Dae who was on the floor with Zion on his lap eating one of the cookies available. Dae was the least effected with all of this along with the children. It was amusing to watch.

When Kiba had asked her if she would go with him to meet his family Kaya had been somewhat dumbstruck - it had not been all that long ago that she had essentially blabbed about her feelings for him and while she had not expected any reciprocation whatsoever he had asked for her to wait for him to get his head in order… it was because of this that the request was something of a surprise - Kaya had been fully prepared to divulge her feelings and find that Kiba never felt the same way that she did for him, she was prepared for that and happy that should that occur then her own feelings might eventually fade over time. Yet when he had asked her to come with him she could not help but say yes; her heart leaping excitedly in her chest at the thought of meeting his family - though she had kept this a secret from her mother… Kythe had become all too suspicious of her and Kiba of late and the girl could not quite bear her mother's attentions in that sense not just yet. 

What Kaya had not expected when visiting Teu's shop to meet Kiba's daughter and grandchildren and to discuss the plant life dying was to find her estranged brother there and her sister. Her sister, whom she had left behind on Myna with her husband and two children… children who were now no longer babes at all but budding into youngsters. With Zion attached to her waist Kaya found she could not breath. She had been devastated to leave her sister and her niece and nephew behind but she had needed to go after Raith to save their mother despite Luna's protests… what would her father think?! They had said their goodbyes to Luna and the children; Luna had always been closest with their father and had always been the most like him of the triplets… She let Zion make the introductions and stared at Raith in disbelief - despising the smirk on his face. Never in her life would she have believed he could give his blackened heart to anyone and yet from the way he held onto Alairia it was clear that his love for her spanned the lengths that their parents love did… Letting go of her nephew she let Zion go to Dae; the young boy clearly happy about this attention. As Cora entered amongst the jabs from the siblings with two wolf pups in her arms Kaya realised that years had passed between them once more - Luna had always looked to age more than her brother and sister but now it seemed the middle child was the eldest of the three purely because time had marched on without them… two new children and a husband lost to her. Nothing had changed between Kaya and Raith but everything had changed for Luna, clearly for the worst… her disgust at her mother was as it ever was and her anger now lay solely upon Kythe for the fact that she had gone missing and 'dragged' Pol and Kaya away to chase after Raith. It was all a little too much to take in…

She let Kiba pull her close as she tried to gather her thoughts together; she had never expected for the three of them to be in the same room ever again and yet here they were. As Alairia screamed at them all she flinched, watching with shock as Raith's expression softened and he supported his beloved, whispering apologies to her as he pressed his cheek to hers and drank deeply of her scent. "Lady Teu you have my deepest apologies… I never meant to upset your daughter, it was the last thing on my mind. Raith, for Lady Alairia's sake and that of the children might we call a truce?" Kaya asked, fighting back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, grateful that Kiba was so close. 
"This one sister I shall agree with you and call a truce but only because Ria has suffered enough because of me." Raith snarled, looking down at his lover and visibly flinching as his hair fell across his face. 
Kaya scowled as she witnessed him flick it viciously away from his skin as though he loathed it. Something really had changed in her brother. 

As they all settled Kaya found herself feeling self conscious. Her brother was consumed by Ria's presence and something about that unnerved her, if only because it was so unlike him. "We found mother Luna. She's safe and sound and well. Kiba is her adopted mother which makes Lady Teu her family too. She's pregnant again, with twin boys. Their father's, time moves differently here than Myna… but that's obvious just looking at you." Kaya said softly. 
"The woman breeds like a rabbit." Raith snorted, causing Kaya to glare at him.
"Sister." Luna sighed as she held Cora to her side, her two youngest curled up asleep in her lap. "Mother made her own choices, she chose to go up against the Father and get herself exiled from Myna just as Raith chose to follow her and you chose to follow after him with our father to stop him. I told you, all of you, that she does nothing but cause anguish for our family and I was right, you seem to think that her safety or the fact that she bears our brothers in her belly will somehow endear me towards her after all these centuries? I will see father now that I have found you but I want nothing to do with her." 
"Nothing changes does it Luna? You still bury your head in the sand. Who else would have fought for Myna if not mother? I loathed her for it as well; hated her for the fact that it was always up to her to save us but I've grown up now, I've realised that she did it for us, because of us and in the process it cost her our affections. Something I am looking to rectify. Myna looked to mother for answers because she was the only one strong enough to kill the Father and stop him from destroying our homeworld and our Gods exiled her for that." Kaya said firmly but in a calm tone. "She loves all three of us; even despite the centuries that have passed and the hatred and resentment we felt towards her she still doesn't care. I've at least grown up enough to realise that I'm as much at fault for pushing her away." 
"If you're expecting me to come home and play happy families Kaya you are severely mistaken." Raith snorted. 
"I would never expect that of you little brother; I know you're not capable of it though maybe you should take a look inside yourself and realise that of the three of us you are most like our mother and that despite your constant shouting about how you hate her and want her dead you are the one striving to be most like her… I see you found your wings." She added, finding some satisfaction in the fact that what she had said left her brother speechless. 

Silence fell between them for a moment before Cora stepped around her mother, shuffling to her Aunt who smiled lovingly at the girl. Cora took hold of Kaya's hands and looked up into her Aunt's face. "Can I meet Granna?" She asked in a tone so soft that it was clear she was afraid of saying those words in her mother's presence. 
"Of course you can sweetling. Mama would love to meet you; she often asks me to tell her about you and Zion and your mother and father and she always says that she wishes she could meet you. She always says goodnight to you before she goes to sleep; she doesn't think I can hear her but I do." Kaya replied, stroking a strand of hair behind Cora's ear as she looked over at Luna who could not meet her eye. "Family is everything to mother Luna. This family too." Kaya added as she looked at Teu, Kiba, Dae and Ria. "How she manages to fit everyone in her heart I do not know but she does." 

Despite how the family was coming together, Teu felt that everything was coming a part. She lightly touched the long braid that trailed over her shoulder while watching the interactions of her family. Alairia and Dae were fully grown now despite their actual the lack of actual years behind their lives. Everything from their physical as well as their mental and emotional states. Teu was able to adjust with it as well as they had. Kieran had done well to adjust as well and be there for all three of them together. The half elf was always grateful for the arrival of her fiancé in their lives, but it was difficult now as their lives had become more complicated. Thankfully, her beloved was not there to see the chaos that had descended upon the household they had worked to build.

Things became heated quickly. The one that was the most heated was the mother watching her daughter’s mental state spiral. Alairia had taken the tonic that was given to her by Teu in one swing. It seemed to work quickly as she buried her face into Raith’s chest. The mother lightly pet her daughter’s hair to help bring some sent of soothing and support. She glanced up at Raith who was working to calm his love. Everything again felt as if it were his fault though Ria didn’t see it that way. Teu took a calming breath before turning to look at the rest of the family that stood around stunned. Green eyes glanced at her father as he nodded towards her. This was not going anything like they had hoped it would.

”If you are all able to handle yourselves, then you are still welcome in my home. If you cannot handle family squabble…then you will all leave our home. This is a place of healing, not a place for you to air your grievances and take out those around. As you can see, my daughter has been through enough as it is.” Teu clenched her teeth tightly before motioning for them to follow her to the back living room to settle. Ria was curled on the long couch against Raith while everyone interacted. The newly-blinded woman could sense her brother on the floor with the Zion on his lap. Dae continued to watch the rather outrageous interactions while feeding little treats to Luna’s son. He was growing more amused by the minute as they couldn’t seem to come to a consensus that years had passed and things had changed. Another cookie was given to Zion while the other children attempted their best to win over the adults with charm.

The Balatro family was silent as the twins spoke to each other even if it was not with the kindest of tones. The diowolf patriarch tapped Kaya’s hand to get her attention. He gave her a supportive smile, knowing that all of this was more than she had been emotionally prepared for. Kiba had invited Kaya to meet his family in order to make an effort to uphold what he had previously said. This was not going how he had expected. -“Alright, so the real reason we came here was to check on everyone considering the dying plants. I know it would affect the herbs being grown, but this is obviously a familiar pattern.”- Kiba adjusted in his seat, which was only the arm of the family couch that was full. -“We need to prepare. I have the Scarwood Fort on alert, but I am worried about being called to active duty soon if this continues. I have not seen my Lord Lokir recently. I think there is something going on that is going to affect Revaliir again.”-

He stood up while looking at the gathered family. -“The gods are involved and something else. I am not sure how or why.”- Teu swallowed hard while staring at the wall with nothing there to look at. She could feel a cold chill run down her spine at the thought of another Void swallowing up a home. Quick looks were given to each of those in the room that were now one large family whether some of them liked it or not. They could not lose everything that had been hard earned in this new world. ”We have already started working on getting the herbs we have to survive. We need them if this is going to get worse.”

Hugging her two youngest against her Luna glared at her brother and sister; they were ruining everything just like they always did. If it hadn't been for her siblings she would still be home on Myna; yes she would still have lost her husband but at least she would be at home, they never thought about anybody else other than themselves - even now they weren't considering how she felt, so absorbed in their own lives they couldn't see that by being here and acting like this they were ruining the one good thing she had found since coming to this world. 

The chiding from Teu made her flinch and pull Ivan and Petra further into her lap; glaring harder at Kaya who looked away from her sadly and moved closer to Teu's father. Luna sneered inwardly at that; of course Kaya would get what she wanted, why wouldn't she? She always bloody did. "I am sorry Alairia." Luna said after a moment, stroking her fingers over her pup's ears to send the twins back to a deep sleep. "You mother is right; though the wounds in our own family will not be healed here. If ever." She added with a pointed stare at her sister who now could not meet her eye. 

Cora looked from her mother to her brother and the older twins rolled their eyes in unison, letting out an audible sigh as the older of the two left her Aunt's side to go over to Alairia - while Zion had become rather fond of Dae his sister utterly adored and worshipped the ground Ria walked upon. "Auntie Ria? Can I braid your hair?" The little girl asked, making it quite obvious that she was going to ignore the adults nonsense (especially her mother's if the little girl had her way). 

"I believe your Angel friend, Michael, mentioned a village he had visited for herbs not too long ago? Is it worth having him reach out to them so that we might stock up as best we can? If we're worried about time then the sooner the better and if necessary we could travel to them to dry the herbs in the village?" Luna asked. She knew very little about this world or the disasters that had come before for the family she had inadvertently joined so she did not quite understand how dire the situation truly was. 

Gray eyes widened and rolled as he began focusing on his little friend. Over the years, Dae had realized that he had been quite the uptight one as a child. He was desperate to keep his family safe no matter the cost. All that he had wanted to learn was how to fight and fend off any attackers. That had left him cold and quiet to everyone even though he felt intense love for his family. When that realization came upon him, the world changed for Dae. The half shade found that he could be effective in protecting his family at the same time of enjoying those around him. It had been the right time to change his demeanor as the children of Luna came into their lives. He admired Luna had her determination to keep the children safe no matter what the circumstances. In many ways, she reminded Dae of his own mother.

Out of all in the shop, Dae found it odd that he was the most relaxed one beside the children. They were still too young to understand what was going on. He could feel for each individual in the room. There was a sense of justice in each of their corners, but Dae really didn’t care. Their shit was just too much to take on all at once. He clicked his tongue loudly when his sister freaked out. Dae wanted to go to her side, but another person hovering would have only made it worse.

He was glad when they had decided to have treats and keep their family drama in the actual house. The house had to change as more were making their home with the Balatros. Dae chuckled as he kept feeding Zion cookies as if to see how many the child could consume until he burst. There was a halt in giving another treat to Zion as he saw the glare come from Teu. ”Alright, bud. Let us have something a little healthier before we get into some real trouble,” he whispered against his new friend’s ear. ”We will sneak more later. Promise.”

There was a smile on Alairia’s face that lit up as Cora asked her question. ”Of course. It would make me feel better,” she said while sitting up a little straighter to allow Cora her ministrations.

”Faradrim Village. That Jiyu Clan he was talking about. They had a wedding there not long ago that he got all dressed up for. Aren’t they pretty secretive? Do you think they will allow outsiders in to work on something like that?” Dae was poking different parts of Zion to keep the kid occupied as well as himself.

Teu sighed a bit in relief that things seemed to have settled down for the moment. ”Michael had stated that the leader, Matriarch Uial was open to having us come. She wanted to open the Village up more, and she seems to like Michael.” There was a hint of amusement in her voice at the admittance of it. She was glad to see Michael being happy and striking out on his own. ”If that is the fact, then let’s get over there. We have little time to waste.”