Moriko woke early, eager to get started on her sed try to get home, and once more put her stuff together, with some new additions sged from the fiscated gear.

  In addition to her other worries, she now had the issue that this Akuma had a description that sounded a lot like her, but not quite provably so. There was really only one person she could think of who had the motivation to try this and the idiot had the resources too. When Mordecai handed her the night, she’d been so livid that Kazue had looked embarrassed upon hearing the words Moriko uttered.

  But there was not much she could do about it at the moment, so she was going to do what she could do, which was to hurry home. Wheepped out of her room, Moriko was instantly struck by the smell of a variety of sweet and savory foods; a full breakfast waiting for her, her spouses already in pce, and a chair waiting right between them. “I’ve woken your escort up,” Mordecai said as Moriko walked over to start grabbing food.

  “Thank you. I probably shouldn't be, but I’m worried and want to get going soon.” As soon as she sat down with her food, Kazue swarmed her with arms and tails in a big hug and a kiss on her cheek.

  “I’m sure everything will be fihe kitsune said, nuzzling into her to give fort, and against Moriko's will it made her rex with a happy warmth.

  Mordecai id his hand over hers from the other side, and she met his eyes. “We may not know what else has been happening, but I am sure you ha. Just remember to keep your options open. If all else fails e back to us, and we will help keep you and anyone else y safe.”

  She sighed slightly. It was f, but part of her was ahat she he fort. “Thank you, but get off, give me some room to eat!” Kazue giggled as she slid back over, while Mordecai leaned over to cim a quick kiss befiving Moriko her space, and she finally dug into her breakfast.

  Her ‘escorts’ showed up a few mier, dressed in their old gear, though some of it looked a bit shinier. She eyed them, then g Mordecai, who answered her unspokeion. “They pleted three floors of challehey earned some rewards in addition to Ozuran's blessing. Just the most basihas on a few pieces is all.” Moriko nodded and then waved to the pair briefly before wolfing down the food, trying to hide her aggravation at all the small deys.

  A little over an hour ter everyone was at the entrao the dungeon, saying their goodbyes. Then it was time to step back outside. Moriko led the way, then paused thoughtfully before they reached the main road. “Let’s be a touch cautious about this. It’ll be a pain, but I think it’s the better idea.” Wanting to avoid any potential ambushes again, she led them to travel along the edge of the foothills, avoiding any paths and trying to keep just enough elevation to have a bit of forewarning. Even with all the gear that they would have been able to collect back at their camp, the remaining bandits should only be an issue if they got a drop on her group; she wasn’t worried about being spotted otherwise.

  She also gave up on dressing for a vacation and had chosen to travel in her uniform while pushing her group to hustle. If they had been able to travel on the road while pushing themselves, they might have cut their travel time down to one long day, but going over rougher terrain took longer and used more energy, so it wasn't until the middle of the afternoon on the sed day that they finally made their way bato the main road and tioward Riverbridge, with no sign of the bandits to report.

  She was relieved that everything seemed to be okay, and the guards on duty he city gate were looking rexed and a touch bored. She knew one of them too, though all of them looked a touch surprised to see a single person in temple uniform traveling with two others. She headed for the guard she knew. “Hey, Dara.” She said to the human woman. “Um, a bunch of crazy stuff happened on my way here, but the part you most o know about is that I was ambushed by some bandits, but thanks to some assistahey were, well, let's just say routed, but not harmed. It’s plicated. However, these two opted for a ce at redemption, and have been blessed with an ato by a priest of Ozuran. They are here to turn themselves in and, well, we’ll see how things go from there. I also o talk with the mayor, the guard captain, and a church representative, but it’s not sent that it ’t wait until tomorrow m. I want to head home for a while, then I o hit the bar. Let's just say, after all of that, I really o get drunk!” If she'd really o blow off some steam at the dungeon, she could have asked for alcohol she was sure; but with the slight that she might be any point, she had decided not to risk it.

  Dara bli her, straighteniance as she tried to keep track of everything she’d been told. “Wait, what? That’s a lot to dump on me all at once... ahg.” She sighed, then frow the pair traveling with Moriko. “Names?” It was about ten more minutes of getting everything sorted before Brongrim and Nainvil were escorted to the jail by a couple of uards and Moriko was waved through. Finally.

  Her bright red uniform drew more than a few eyes, but she just waved to the ones she knew and ighe rest. She wanted home. Finally, she drew close to the alchemy storefront and took hat it en. Good, they weren’t pletely panicked yet, but she decided to not interrupt business and iurned down a small side alley, passing along the wall of the herbal garden growiween the shop and the somewhat rge house on the far side of the garden. It was a good thing her parents were both good at their job; with up to four younger siblings (and another after she'd moved out), the house hadn't felt very rge while she was growing up, though now only two remained.

  Moriko hesitated again before she quite pulled even with the house, then decided to ‘hop’ the tall wall surrounding the garden, the winds once more supp her steps before she nded lightly. Entering from the back door would give whoever was home a bit of surprise, which erhaps a bit wicked given that they were probably worried, but she loved messing with her sibs. Carefully she moved close to the house, keeping a fan, her you sibling and sed brother. He was the one most likely to be pying outside, their sister Hainako was a bit of a bookworm and seemed the most likely to take over the shop eventually.

  Finding no oside, she mao slip in the back door without making it creak. A quiet mome her hear someone cooking i, and based on the humming it sounded like her dad. Huh. Normally both of them mahe store now that everyone was old enough, but she guessed they’d decided to take shifts while waiting for her. Still, that meant she could get up the stairs without being noticed, and see who was there. Mmm, she guessed that Hainako was behind her closed door, but Gan’s door en. She carefully peeked ihe fourteen-year-old’s room to find him practig with a wooden mock-up of a butterfly sword. Moriko grinned, he had been hero-worshiping her a touch, so she waited until his barely trained kata had him turning away from the door, then rushed in to tickle his sides.

  “AHHH!” he jumped, letting go of the wooden sword in his panic before he realized who had attacked him. He stood dumbfounded as Moriko smirked at him.

  “You o better maintain awareness of your surroundings, and your form was sloppy!” she teasingly scolded him before he suddenly rushed her, eyes tearing as he hugged her tightly. Moriko ughed as she hugged him back. “I missed you too.”

  Hainako was the first to respond to Gan’s shout, the twenty-one-year-old half-elf bursting out of her room with a small vial of what looked like bottled lightning in her hand. She blinked, and Moriko smiled at her with a wink, causing Hainako to sigh before shouting dowairs, “It’s alright, it’s just her.” Said with all the disdain an annoyed younger sister give.

  Moriko chuckled “I love you too sis.” Hainako rolled her eyes and then headed back to her room, smming her door behind her. Her father, Jhaeros, apparently took a moment to pose himself before ing up the stairs, as he and the homunculus on his shoulder were not carrying any of their potions in hand when he arrived, though he was still wearing his apron. “Hi Dad.” She said with all the casualness she could muster, like she’d just seen him yesterday.

  He scowled at her. “Don’t ‘Hi’ me, we got your letter and you are nearly a week te! What happened and why are you wearing your uniform?” He demanded, looking her over while trying to keep the worry out of his voice. Then he froze, staring at her hand. Damn it, she should have wloves. Well, nothing for it now. Jhaeros raised his voice to pee the nearby closed door. “Hainako, go get your mother. Now.” It wasn’t a shout, but it was a and and the young woman responded, springing back out of her room looking fused, then her gaze followed her dad’s gaze, and her eyes widened.

  “Oh!” She excimed before scrambling downstairs as fast as she could.

  “Don’t tell a!” Moriko shouted after her. “It’s plicated!”

  “Don’t tell anyone what?” Gan asked, pulling away as he looked up at her, and doing his best to pretend that he hadn’t been g. She sighed and raised her hand, wiggling her fio show off the gold and purple ring. “Is that a wedding ring?”

  “No, I mean teically yes but, ah, it’s plicated. Wait until Mom gets here, so I tell the story from the beginning and just once. Well, twice, I o have a meeting tomorrow because some of my story is going to have a lot more repercussions for a lot of people, but e on, we should go downstairs to wait, and make sure Dad doesn’t burn anything."

  Jhaeros opened his mouth to defend his cooking skills, then realized he’d left the kit unattended with what was hopefully still dinner on a hot stove. With a muttered curse he bolted dowairs to che the food, and Moriko finally disentangled herself from her brother before following, Gan on her heels.

  She took more time to look around as she passed through the on room, noting that not much had ged. They still had all the furniture they needed for every kid to have a seat if they were all home at once, plus a little more in case there were extra guests. But for the moment she moved on to the kit area, stealing the stool her mom usually used for watg Dad cook, the sap. The thought made her smile again, and fending off Gan’s persistent questio her eained while she waited for Hainako t Kaoru in. It didn’t take long, and it made Moriko wonder if her mom rushed any ers out to close up that fast.

  “Moriko!” her mom shouted as she came in, sing over Moriko to seek out her hand, and she obliged by raising it up, back fag her mom. “What, when, how, why didn’t you tell us?” Kaoru sputtered as she walked over to grab Moriko’s hand and stare at the unusual ring. “And what is with this ring? Is it magic?” she gasped. “Did someone ent you?!” Moriko couldn’t help but roll her eyes, realizing that her mom and Kazue would get along fabulously. There was a faint sense of protest in her head, but she ighe kitsune for now and eyed her sister.

  “Hey, I whispered it to her, no one else heard!” Hainako protested in respoo Moriko’s side-eye.

  “Mom, slow down. I’ll tell you, and no, it’s not like that.” Teically she had been ented, but that had been after she’d agreed to it. “Wait a sec for Dad to be in a spot where he take a break from cooking, it’s a long story. But I really didn’t have a choice, and it was more like I helped break a curse, then saved someone from loneliness.”

  It took a while loo get everyoled with the fire banked enough that Jhaeros didn’t have to worry about the food burning. Kaoru cuddled up to her husband and Moriko’s siblings gathered close as she finally begaale, starting all the way back with her i with the noble brat.

  Zagaroth