Dinner with with BlueShirt's entire family and Tim was an experience. They all crowded around the table, each taking random spots with no inclination towards rank or order, something his Father was very strict about. Then they waited as BlueShirt said some words, starting to eat after he had finished.

That was where things got a little fuzzy. As soon as they were allowed to eat, Fralith devoured everything, the people and conversation completely lost to him. There were just so many things to try and they all tasted delicious. He was constantly poking, sniffing, and shoving things into his face. And each time his plate was empty, it got full again! So there were always things to eat.

Out of all the foods there, his favorite was the little balls of mystery meat. Covered in the red sauce, black flakes, and the yellow grass-shaped cheese that SmileTalk — he'd forgotten the boy's real name — said was called pars-me-in-'ees', they were delicious and gone way too soon.

Now the meal was done and everyone was talking. Fralith leaned back in his chair, patting his bulging belly. It was stuffed to its fullest capacity, nearly bursting at the seams. One more thing and he'd burst — he was sure of it. But oh, was the food good. Tim plus BlueShirt plus RuthMom plus SmileTalk and Ray-chel meant really good food.

Is this what the Rivierian royalty eat all the time? I want to be royalty. Eating food like this all the time would be amazing. Fralith frowned a little at the thought, licking sauce from the edges of his mouth. Before coming here, he'd never wanted to be royalty or anything else than himself. Before coming here, he'd never thought about food or let it absorb him all the time.

Things had...changed. He had changed. A lot. Something under his stomach twinged — not quite uneasy, but not quite comfortable, either — but it was too squished for him to identify or for it to do anything else. Had he changed for the better? Was being excited about food good? He....thought so, or, at least, it wasn't bad.

When he was little, Mother used to tell stories about the winter right after the SecondHomers overthrew the RedShirts and how they nearly starved to death, so wanting to eat food that was given freely to you was reasonable, right? Fralith patted his stomach and looked around the table at all the smiling faces, his gaze lingering on RuthMom.

Mother had stopped telling stories a long time ago when Father became a Counselor. She'd gotten too busy caring for Alith and Sylith and preparing for meetings and things for telling "pointless stories" when Davith or anyone else could tell him. Mother had stopped doing a lot of things then, too. Lots of things that...that he wished she would take up again.

He missed her stories about SecondHome from when she was a kid. Missed snuggling into her side and gazing into the glow of the FlickerBugs, imagining great trials and heroes who conquered them. Missed being able to go up to her and just...be himself instead of always having to get out of her way and go train or go play with his 'friends' or act older and better than all the others his age.

But most of all he missed...her being a mother and...and himself being just Fralith, a kid with a happy family.

↶⬝◂⚘▸⬝↷

"Thanks for having me," Tim said as he walked down the short hall with all the colorful squares hanging on it with BlueShirt and RuthMom.

"Anytime, Tim. Thanks for helping to bring Zander here. I don't think I could have done it without you," BlueShirt replied, smiling.

Fralith inserted himself between them, frowning and flicking his fingers, gaze darting to the stairs where SmileTalk and Ray-chel had disappeared up. What was happening? Where was Tim going? He watched as Tim put on his shoes and BlueShirt take some metal things off of a hook near the heavy door they had previously arrived through.

Tim and BlueShirt shook hands, saying more things he didn't understand, before Tim turned to him and got down on one knee, opening his arms to him. "Hey, don't look so worried, Brave Bud. I'll be back in the morning; I promise. You're safe and sound here with the Waters."

Fralith furrowed his brows and stepped into Tim's arms, leaning his head on his shoulder. Tim was...leaving? To where? Why? His stuffed belly clenched and shifted around uncomfortably, shadows leaking into his skin. "Beep? Tim beep?"

Taking his shoulders, Tim held him in front of him. "Look..." he paused, mouth open as if he was searching for words to say. He tapped his own chest and pointed at the door that led to the MetalEater. "I'm going out." Tapping Fralith's chest, he put both hands together and laid his head on them, closing his eyes and making sleeping sounds. "You sleep."

Opening his eyes, he faked a yawn then tapped his own chest and pointed down at the ground. "When you wake, I'll be here." Tim repeated the sequence of actions along with his words.

Tim leaves then I sleep and...Tim is here again? Fralith squinted, watching Tim gesture a few more times. That...seemed to be what Tim was saying. The shifting of his stomach eased a little. Tim wouldn't be gone for long, then. He'd be coming back and it wouldn't be like Davith. It would be okay. Taking a breath he nodded. "Tim no beep."

Tim smiled at him and patted his shoulders. "Yes, Tim no beep, Brave Bud. It won't be long." Standing, he nodded at BlueShirt, who opened the door to the MetalEater, then waved to him and RuthMom. "See you guys later."

RuthMom waved back, smiling. "See you then." The door closed behind Tim and Blueshirt, leaving him and RuthMom alone.

He stared at the door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Tim was gone. BlueShirt was gone. They were...leaving him. But they're coming back, he reminded himself. They're not leaving me.

Something slammed behind the door and, a moment later, a thunderous roar that was not like the MetalEater's roar started. There was a monster in there! A new one! Slamming his palms together in alarm, he scurried away behind RuthMom and towards the relative safety of the dark stairs.

"Oh, Zander!" RuthMom's voice exclaimed from below. "What's wrong?"

Fralith paused at the top, looking at the darkened doors, panting at the thin air. Could the monster get up here? Would it come after him? Did it— did it want to eat him? He shuddered and took a step towards the door on the left of the room he had slept in that had a bright band of orange light seeping through the bottom.

Light was good. Safe. But...it made him easy to see. Jatmap said that shadows and darkness were his friends; they hid him from enemies and made it easy to sneak around and stab them when they were not looking. It also hid him from monsters. So shadows were good, too.

"There you are."

"BEEP!" He started and whirled around, the paws of his heart leaping into the air.

RuthMom stood a few steps below him, brows tilted like leaves weighed down by dew. "Oh!" She gasped, putting a hand out to him. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"

RuthMom. It was RuthMom, not the monster, who was quiet now. Flicking his gaze to her outstretched hand, he blinked hard. What was he supposed to do with her hand? Touch it? Take it? ...Lick it? No. That would be too weird. Definitely not the last one.

Silence stretched between them for a few rapid heartbeats. She frowned slightly and smoothed her face over, dropping her hand. "How about we get you to bed? I know you slept already but it's late, and I'm sure your heart could use the extra rest." She smiled at him and finished walking up the stairs, passing him, and heading towards the door to the room he had slept in.

He followed her, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the monster wasn't around. There was nothing but normal darkness so he faced forward and paused. The room was lit up like day, the bulb on the ceiling glowing like a miniature sun.

What was making such bright light? It couldn't be FlickerBugs or GlowMoss or even StarStones; those didn't get this bright. Maybe it had something like a FireCreeper or a MoonMoth in it? No, those were too big. How was the light so steady? How was it even on?

The sound of someone sitting on a bed cut through his thoughts and he glanced over, face scrunched. Was the light like a... beetle that made bright light when it was slapped and used all over in Kentytii. What had Drao called it? A...jigglo...jigglo...jigglosakt? Jigglosakt. That sounded right. Was it like that? Did the people have those things here?

"Coming?"

Fralith shook his thoughts off and padded over to the bed. RuthMom had pulled back the blanket, revealing a dark blue spread that had little patterns of leaves on it. He stopped at the edge of the bed, tracing the leaves with his eyes before flicking his gaze to her face. What was he supposed to do?

She smiled at him encouragingly and gestured her hand at the bed, so, tentatively, he crawled into the open spot in the middle and curled up.

RuthMom pulled the soft blue blanket over him and tucked in the edges. "There," she breathed. "All tucked in. Now, I don't know if you'll like it but...I used to sing a bedtime song for my kids and, well..." She trailed off and took a deep breath then began to sing.

He stared up at her as a soft and simple tune filled his ears, easing the ache in his chest and spreading warmth through his body. It wasn't like the songs SecondHomers sang but it was...it was nice. Peaceful. Beautiful. Motherly in a way that— that he hadn't known in a long time.

When it ended, RuthMom reached down and smoothed his hair back from his head. "Goodnight, Zander." She stood and walked out of the room, softly closing the door and somehow making the light go away with her.

In the darkness he held his breath, the last notes of the song lingering at the edges of his hearing. Warmth embalmed him, seeping soothing liquid into his chest and filling him with a lightness and an ache of sadness all at the same time.

She sang to him and tucked him in; smoothed back his hair and...was nice to him. More than nice. Warm, kind...loving, even? And that— and that made him want to cry and grin at the same time in a good way.

Things were changing, like he had. He didn't need to hide or keep his guard up for frowns and angry words. He didn't need to look out for where his next meal was coming from or worry that a new thing might jump out and bite him with no one to rescue him. Tim and BlueShirt were here and they would protect him. RuthMom was...really nice, too.

It's nice here, he thought as sleep drifted up to him like fog rolling down the mountains. Really nice. And in the last moments before dreams, for a brief flicker of emotions, he didn't ever want to leave.

———-

What's this? A chapter? I actually posted?! Yeah, hehe... I kind of felt bad for keeping everyone waiting so long so I sat myself down and finished this one up. Hopefully I can continue this, but, again, no guarantees :)

That aside. Would ya'll want me to announce (on the message board) when new chapters are posted? I know other authors do it but I'm not exactly sure why because you get notifications when the books you 'follow' update automatically, so it's like a double announcement. *shrugs* If you want it, I'll do it, but otherwise I'll just stick to doing this.

Anywho. Clear skies to you and the best of tail-wagging days!