After excusing themselves from everybody, Marice and Katherine went back home and started sorting out their luggage in the former's room.

"So," the hog familiar began, landing beside her, "how did it go?"

Marice shook her head. "My apology was half-assed, Cocoa."

"You didn't hug her, did you?"

"O-Of course not. There's still plenty of people down there."

"And what's wrong with that? She's your mother."

"Look, just—ugh, I'll think of something later!"

"You better! She may have that bright smile plastered on her face all the time, but she's a real softie on the inside!"

"I know." Marice's face soured as she stared at the blue gift box in front of her. "Quit rubbing it in my face."

They fell silent for a moment until Cocoa spoke again. "Aren't you gonna open that?"

"I was about to, but you just killed the excitement out of me."

"It's a bit light for its size," Katherine said, giving her box a shake. "I wanna say a stack of clothes, but..."

Marice let out a grumble. "Let's just get this over with."

They then opened the boxes, pulling out a pair of pig plushies. Katherine's plushie wore a red frilly ribbon, while Marice's had a blue one. Both had spots on their body, reminding Marice of the pigs she used to take care of back in their hometown.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Katherine squished the cheeks of her plushie. "It's so soft too!"

"What's wrong, Marice?" Cocoa asked. "You don't like it?"

"I like it. I really do. I was just expecting something a bit more practical, I guess?"

"But didn't you want to get that stuffed toy when you were a kid?"

"This particular plushie? I don't remember."

"You even made a scene in the store when your mom told you she couldn't buy you one."

"What?! I never did that!"

"Yup, you did! I was there too, you know?" The familiar sat down and brought her front hooves together. "I can't blame you though! The lineup there was fantastic, both in quality and variety!"

"Kath, don't listen to her. She's just spouting gibberi—what are you doing?"

The blue glow in Katherine's eyes disappeared. "O-Oh, sorry! I thought it sounded familiar, so I looked up the brand of these plushies. And wow, they're expensive!"

Marice looked down at her plushie again. "Yeah, I can see why. But mom could have chosen a different animal design for your plushie."

"Oh, that's because that pair's made for couples," Cocoa said.

"For couples? It's not like she would be spending a lot more buying two separate plushies."

"If it bothers you that much, maybe you can ask her yourself later."

She shrugged and smiled. "Well, it doesn't really matter. Pigs are cute, right Kath?"

"Y-Yeah! They sure are!"

"They rank up there next to cows, crocodiles, and dogs." Noticing her friend's flustered expression, Marice leaned close to her. "What's with that face?"

Katherine averted her gaze. "Oh, it's nothing. I just... remembered something embarrassing..."

"Like what?"

"I-I-It's a secret! Obviously!"

"It probably has something to do with my mother, right?" Marice grinned as Katherine's eyes widened. "You two are getting all chummy recently."

"So you noticed...!"

"She must've told you all the dumb things I did when I was small."

"A-Ah, yeah. Something like that."

Feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks, Marice smiled. "I wanna give her an earful every time she does that, and yet I can't help but feel happy that she can openly express herself like that to other people."

"I'm not sure if I can follow..."

"My mom didn't have any friends growing up as she spent her entire childhood training to be the clan's head matriarch. And even though she had worked her arse off to meet the grand matriarch's expectations... even after she had gained a power never seen across our bloodline, they still deemed her unworthy and cast her aside."

"But why?"

"Because someone else wants the throne for themselves. Simple as that. Well, at least as far as clan power struggles are concerned."

Katherine balled her hands. "But your aunt is the current head matriarch, right? Then the reason must've been something more personal..."

"No, nothing like that. The ruling families just collectively decided that Mom's abilities are a threat to them, so they kicked her out of the clan's political sphere before she could take a side and upset the precious status quo they've cultivated.

"And my grandmother, the one who shoveled all the responsibility onto her, didn't even give a damn about the decision. Instead, she endorsed my aunt. Almost as if she knew mom would fail and had already a backup plan ready just so our family could stay in power for another generation."

"Then... what about you? Even if you didn't go through training, you're still technically eligible for the position, right?"

"Hell would freeze over before those power-hungry hags would even consider giving me their votes. My magic potential doesn't even come close to my father's, and I didn't inherit mom's stupidly powerful gift. As far they're concerned, I'm unfit to become a matriarch, which further justifies their decision to throw us away like used tissue paper."

"That's not fair..."

"That's just something you gotta live with in a shitty family like ours." She let out a sigh to calm herself. "In hindsight, I'm glad that I was born the way I am. Definitely did a good job exposing those pretentious pricks."

"Maybe... maybe they'll come around once they realize how much you've grown?" Marice's scowl grew even fiercer, causing Katherine to lower her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's all in the past now. We're free, and that's the only thing that matters to us." She took a deep breath, staring at her plushie. "So, thank you."

Katherine perked up. "Thank you? For what?"

As their eyes met, Marice gave her a wide smile. "For being such a good sport. For putting up with our antics."

Katherine had a shocked expression on her face as her cheeks grew crimson. She then turned away again and covered her face with her hands. "Wh-What's with you, Marice? You're being weird all of a sudden!"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're the one who's being weird, you know?"

"Why are your eyes glowing red?" Cocoa asked.

"She does that when her circuitry is overloaded with emotions."

"That's a bit scary..."

"I-It doesn't work that way!" She slowly turned around, hands still covering her face. "And stop staring, you two!"

"Hey, I meant what I said, Kath. So don't you dare think that I'm only doing this to tease you."

"Marice, blunt as always. And here I was thinking that you were still in a sour mood after what happened earlier..."

"Definitely could've been better, but there's no point beating myself over that either. At the end of the day, I'm just glad I'm finally home."

"Yep!" Cocoa said, climbing on her legs. "I've been yearning for your warmth since forever! Don't leave us ever again!"

In response, Marice took the familiar in her arms and gave it a tight squeeze against her chest. "Just like old times, huh?"

She grunted in response. "But you're much bigger now, so I'm not as huggable as before."

"Like that matters." She then crawled closer to Katherine, giving her a light slap on the back. "Kath, you're part of the family now too, so make yourself at home, alright? And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask any of us."

Katherine faced them, looking a bit glum. "I will. Thank you."

"Oh, don't give me that face. I know, how about we take a bath together after we clean up here? It's not any bigger than our apartment's, but not like that matters, right?"

"Uhh... umm... maybe next time! It's late anyway, so we can't stay in there for too long!"

"Oh, fine."

"Come on, you two," Cocoa said. "You'll never get anything done at this rate!"

And so, they continued on emptying their luggage, transferring their clothes into the wardrobe Mariella had prepared for them. They didn't have that much to begin with, but their penchant for coats and jackets easily took up most of the available space. They would have to organize them again later as some of these coats wouldn't see any use in a tropical country.

As for their magical items and alchemy ingredients, Marice stuffed them in the drawer next to the bunk bed for easy access. She was well-stocked other than the biomass she would need to sustain her golem puppets, so she would have to search for a supplier or two later within the district.

Once they were done, Marice hopped into the bathroom for a quick hot shower, letting her all of her worries dissipate like steam. She had been expecting to take it easy for at least a few days, but she just had this inkling that she would never get her peace and quiet with her mother playing hero again.

All because of a powerful demonic presence supposedly lurking within the metro.

It would be a pain in the butt for sure, especially if it were actually as strong as the rumors were making it out to be. On the other hand though, it could be worth the time to keep an eye on such developments as a necromancer. After all, high-level demons had always been a rarity since the past century, so she would be a fool to pass up the opportunity to see one in her lifetime.

If it really is a grand lich or an archdemon... there's a good chance it knows how to cast the ultimate healing spell too. Marice sighed, closing her eyes. Hah... wishful thinking...

"Um," Katherine called out, "Marice? You didn't fall asleep in there, did you?"

Broken out of her trance, she pulled her head away from her knees. "N-No! I was... meditating!"

"Oh, just checking. Remember the last time you fell asleep in the tub?"

"Yeah, stop bringing that up! I'm about to get out anyway!" She sighed again, standing from the laundry stool. Would've been nice if I could just walk up to one and ask them about it.