Why am I so nervous to meet Allisa’s mothers?
I walk alongside Allisa, holding her hand as we approach her home. Amai, Sora, and Snowie walk with us as we go into the Vibrant Forest again. We had stopped at the Blade’s cottage again to regroup before I set out again.
I need to find these answers.
Allisa grins as she squeezes my hand. “I’m sure my mothers can give us the information we’re looking for.” She says. “We’ve known the Yasei’s for a long time.”
Amai crosses her arms. “Is that so?” She asks.
The elven woman nods. “Mhm!”
Sora looks at Amai. “It’s true… before the Blades were formed, I’m pretty sure Kaen would stay with Allisa fairly often.”
“Yes,” Allisa answers. “Until they got back on his feet, we gave her a place to stay if they needed one.”
That’s… actually really kind. Offering a hand to someone in their time of need. I tried that once… I think. It was when I tried to help Violet.
But… I guess it wasn’t needed at the time?
Snowie grins at the four of us.
“I have a feeling that the Torifina family will be a lot nicer to us than the stupid Yasei’s were.” The three-tailed fox says.
Allisa glances at me. “Were they actually that awful?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I whisper. “They wanted absolutely nothing to do with us. They kept talking horribly about Written magic as well.”
“They didn’t even offer me belly rubs!” Snowie barks. “It was offensive!”
“That’s so odd…” Amai purses her lips. “You’d think everyone here is welcoming to Written magic.”
“Not everyone,” Sora says. “M-my parents are very against it…”
Allisa nods. “Not everyone accepts magic here. It’s a small group that acts like this but… they don’t like change.”
“You’d think they’re from the Normal.” I mutter. “No one likes change there.”
We finally reach the front doors of Allisa’s home. It isn’t quite a mansion, but it’s large in size. The exterior is delicately designed. The elven girl smiles as she puts her hand on the doorknob.
“Wait,” I say. “Don’t we need to knock?”
Allisa glances back at me.
“This is my home. We’re already welcome here.”
Snowie’s tails wag. “Yay! New friends!”
Allisa opens the door. She leads us into the building. The entrance looks rather cozy; while it’s grand like the Taruna or Yasei manors, it isn’t as extravagant. I see pictures on the walls of the family in this home. It looks like there’s life here.
Amai glances at me.
“Are you alright?”
What? Why is Amai checking in on me? She’s been showing signs of being uncomfortable around me for a while now. Wouldn’t she try to stay in her lane?
I guess she’s just being kind?
“I’m fine. I’m only trying to focus.”
“Right, right. Sorry.”
Shoot.
“Mom! Mother!” Allisa calls into the hallway. “Are you home?”
Sora looks at me. They smile a little.
“Her moms are really nice,” They say softly. “You’ll love them.”
I grin at the soft-spoken Written. “I hope they like us.”
“They will!” Sora giggles. Their golden eyes light up a little. “Trust me.”
I’m glad they aren’t as afraid of me anymore…
“Allisa? Is that you sweetheart?”
A woman with tanned skin and platinum hair in two low pigtails enters the room. She wears a light blue top with a choker necklace. A white skirt follows her as she walks. Her gray eyes fall upon her daughter, and she smiles as her ears twitch a little.
“Mom!”
Allisa lets go of my hand and runs towards her mother. She hugs the older woman tightly.
“Hello dearie!” The woman says. “Ah… who are your friends?”
Allisa walks back over to us. She grabs my hand and leads me forward.
“You’ve met Sora already… but I have two new faces. Meet Ikimono Yoru and Amai Winter. They’re some of Soveliss’s friends. Snowie’s here too.” Allisa says. She stops after a moment. “Iki. Amai. Meet one of my mothers, Wynonna.”
Wynonna grins at me. “Welcome to our home.” She offers a hand to me. I shake it respectfully before she moves to Amai. “I’ve heard of the two of you. It’s great to meet you.”
I grin. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Indeed.” Amai says. “It’s a pleasure!”
Snowie runs up to Wynonna. “Hi!! I’m Snowie!”
The elven woman giggles. “Hi sweetheart. I’ve heard of you too. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She says as she reaches down to scratch behind Snowie’s ear. She then clears her throat. Wynonna looks to another room. “Eris, dear! We have guests!”
“Coming, love.”
Within moments, another woman with a longer face and dark skin comes into the room. She has a scar over one of her red eyes. Her hair is tied into dreads that go towards her neckline. She adjusts a purple gem that sparkles on her necklace, matching her dark purple dress. She then wraps her white, fluffy sweater around herself.
When I place my finger on my ring momentarily, I see a magic haze from the gem.
Eris is Written.
“Allisa, darling,” Eris says. The woman adjusts her glasses. “It’s lovely to see you back so soon. And you’ve brought friends.”
“They’re friends of Soveliss’s.” Allisa smiles wide.
Wynonna gestures to the lovely set of couches and chairs. “Why don’t we sit down? Was there something you needed? Can I get you guys some tea?”
“We were just about to have some.” Eris says. “Shall I grab some?”
Sora’s eyes light up. “I’d like some please.”
“Me too!” Amai smiles as she speaks up.
“Dear?” Allisa looks at me. “Tea?”
I nod. “Sure.”
“Oh! Oh!” Snowie pipes up. “Got any chicken?”
Allisa pulls out a small bag. “Already thought of you, Snowie.” She opens it to reveal some cooked chicken.
Snowie’s eyes light up. “Yes! Jackpot!”
Eris walks back into the other room. She comes back with a tray of tea cups and a pot. She sets it on the wooden table, pouring tea for everyone.
“If you’d like any cream or sugar, there’s some on the tray.” Eris says.
The women sit together on one couch. Amai and Sora sit in separate chairs while Allisa pulls me next to her on the other couch. Everyone grabs a tea cup and adjusts their drink to their tastes. As I sit back, Allisa holds my free hand.
My heart flutters.
Wynonna looks at Allisa.
“Was there something all of you needed?”
Allisa nods to her mothers. “Yes. We’re having some issues locating Kaen.” She starts to fill them in.
Eris frowns. “Still? It’s been over a month since they disappeared.”
Sora nods. “The Blades are getting really worried. I hope they’re alright… but she hasn’t shown any signs of being here.”
I look at Sora.
“I can confirm the Archive still says he’s here.” I offer the information. “Maeko and I checked with Soveliss again about it earlier.”
Snowie tilts her head as one of her ears folds back. “Huh…? So if Kaen is in Destiny, why can’t we find them?” She asks.
“Kaen has always been elusive,” Wynonna says. “Ever since she was a child, he wasn’t at the forefront of their family’s events. The Yasei family is well-known, but they always tried to keep Kaen out of the eyes of others. I never understood why…”
Eris nods. “That might be why it’s hard to find him. She’s probably hiding and moving around.”
A constantly moving target is the worst to keep your eyes on.
“How long have you known the Yasei’s?” Sora asks.
Eris grins. “A long time.” She answers. “Allisa and Kaen used to be playmates as kids. Soveliss and Naomi were part of that group too.”
“But everything changed once there was suspicion that Kaen was Written,” Wynonna says. “The Yasei’s were able to tolerate one or two Written when they trusted us. But then they accused Eris and Soveliss’s family of passing on the ‘curse’ to Kaen.”
“Is that why they don’t like you?” Amai asks. “Just because Eris is Written?”
Eris shakes her head.
“That’s only part of it.” She answers. “The Yasei’s are all about keeping their image as a perfect, non-magical family. They’ve never had magic, and they don’t care to have magic. They don’t trust it, especially with the Corruption spreading.” She moves to hold her wife’s hand. “And because we don’t flaunt our wealth or strive to be perfect…”
“They don’t like you.”
Eris and Wynonna look at me. I shrink down a little. Did I say something wrong?
Part of me relates to that. People only liked me at school after I started using my magic to hide my two-colored eyes in school. Before that, they thought I was the weird quiet kid. Some still do. They think I hate everyone and everything. I get it; I haven’t always been the nicest person…
I can’t help but think of that interaction I had with Marle and Nadia in the locker room. The one where they verbally and physically attacked Violet for trying to step in. These are the same bullies that apparently harassed Amai, despite being on the same cheer squad as her.
Sakasu told me about that…
And that’s another thing. Those two aren’t the only ones in the school partaking in the bullying. I know Nova’s had her fair share of people bullying her for ridiculous things. Saisho was harassed as a kid. Sakasu constantly gets jabs and comments about her sexuality from bigoted students.
None of us from the Normal are liked that much.
Is it because we’re not “normal”?
“Yeah.”
My attention is brought back to Allisa’s mothers. Wynonna nods at me.
“That’s essentially how it is,” she says. “It sucks… but it’s what we’ve accepted.”
Allisa takes a sip of her tea. She glances at me. “Do you think maybe Soveliss’s energy senses could pin point Kaen?”
“Maybe,” I say.
Amai clears her throat. We look at her.
“But if Kaen is a moving target, it may be hard to find them even with that.” She suggests. “We’d have to be careful not to stress Soveliss out.”
Sora nods. “Mhm… we don’t want to harm our allies.”
Snowie’s ears perk up. “What if we find Kaen’s location with an energy sense… and then go to that location!”
Wynonna and Eris glance at one another in silence. They look back at us after a few moments.
“It could work,” Eris mentions. “But it wouldn’t be easy.”
Wynonna nods. “But it might be your best course of action.” She adds in. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
Amai reaches out to give Snowie some ears scratches.
“Good thinkin’, Snow!”
“Thanks!” The fox wags her tails.
Eris speaks up with a, “Remember. Kaen is naturally elusive. Finding them will be a challenge.”
“Have you seen her lately?” I ask. It’s worth a shot.
Wynonna shakes her head. “Unfortunately, no. We haven’t seen Kaen or his parents in a long time.”
Allisa looks at me.
“They stopped talking to us when everyone suspected Kaen was Written…”
It makes sense. The two of them hated me and the group that arrived to question them. All because we had magic. They hate Written, and one of Allisa’s mothers is Written.
I wonder if the two of them hate Soveliss and his parents. Or Amai’s mother and late father.
Sora clears their throat. I glance at them.
“We should get back soon then.” They suggest. “Tell the others what we learned and start searching again.”
Allisa nods. “Agreed.” She looks to her mothers. “Thank you for having us.”
Wynonna grins. “Of course. You’re all welcome here, regardless of the reason.” She says.
Snowie gets up. She looks at me.
“Come on! Let's report what we’ve found to the other Blades and Soveliss!” She barks.
Sora gets up. They give a small bow to Wynonna and Eris.
“Thank you for talking to us.”
Amai smiles at Allisa’s mothers. “We really do appreciate it!”
As Amai, Sora, and Snowie all leave, Allisa doesn’t move just yet. She squeezes my hand tightly before looking at her mothers. They watch the two of us as the other three leave the house.
Wynonna clears her throat first.
“Is something the matter, dear?” She asks.
Allisa grins. “I just wanted to also introduce my new girlfriend to you both.” She says softly.
Eris raises an eyebrow. “Girlfriend?” She asks. “Since when?”
“Since earlier today,” Allisa says. “But we’ve known each other for a while now… so it happened naturally.”
I nod. “Mhm.”
Wynonna and Eris look at one another. They then look at me. Both of them grin a bit.
“Well then,” Eris giggles. “It’s nice to formally meet you then.” She stands up and walks towards me. She offers a hand. “Ikimono, right?”
I nod. “Y-yes ma’am.” I answer. “That’s me.”
I take Eris’s hand. We shake before she lets go. She had a rather firm grip on my hand just now. But she smiles again.
Wynonna also stands and comes over to the two of us.
“Well, Ikimono, you are always welcome here as well. Whenever you wish.” She says. “Welcome to the family.”
My heart flutters.
The last time I heard those words, it was when I met Nova and her family. Nova immediately considered me as another sister in her already large family. It was symbolic of how close we are as friends. A moment to show how I was viewed in someone else’s eyes.
Now I have a third place to call home. A third family who already considers me one of their own.
Is this what it means to be loved?
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