Tea and Crumpets

[Syani]

Trusting Siofra's guest managing skills under Kaekeru's strict supervision, Syani slipped off for a short moment to get the tea ready. She had taken the empty pot back in the house to fill it with a special blend of lavender tea. She knows for a fact that the scent of lavender can put one's mind at ease. After seeing Mitsuko's eyes earlier, she expects their conversation to be heavy today. She read a medical study somewhere that lavender is effective for anxiety and depression, so perhaps this tea is what's needed for today.

Syani returns to the garden with the pot of tea to be put on the table, just in time to see Siofra absolutely screeching in excitement of her new dinosaur. Perhaps it was the call with Matthew earlier that made her even more restless and louder than usual. After Siofra was given to Kaekeru, the two left to go to the other side of the garden with Siofra's new dinosaur toy to play pretend with.

The half-vampire then leads the two ladies to the tea party table right beside the house. Syani looks slightly embarrassed that the table looks like it was designed for royalty but gestured for her guests to sit down. Just as Syani about to pour the tea for all of them, Mitsuko's phone rang. The black-haired nods for her sister to accept the call from where she's sitting and begins pouring the tea in Eve's cup first.

Syani's ears perked when she overheard Savannah's problem regarding a spirit. She carefully puts the pot of tea back down, since topics of spirits far exceeds tea at this very moment. At her sister's insistence for Syani to answer, she thought back to her old classes.

"Hi Savannah, this is Aunty Syani speaking here. Before I can help you, I need your help to tell me some details about your... summoning." Summoning isn't really her strong suit, but being a teenager once before, of course she has done the exact same thing Savannah is doing. "I need to know what you did was an evocation or a conjuration, sweetie. Evocation is when you're calling upon a spirit on your own. Conjuration is a way to summon with the use of a magical spell. Can you tell me how you did it?" She sincerely hopes it's not conjuration, because there's a thin line between conjuring and necromancy. Which is nothing at all bad in essence but can be seen as freakish and unnatural by an angel of light like Mitsuko.

"And another thing... Can you see what the spirit looks like? If you can, please tell me." Syani nervously looked over to Mitsuko with a shaky smile. She can't exactly say that some spirits look demon-like in nature, that would make the angel flip. "If it looks human-like, you cannot form a contract with it. It's just a lost soul that you probably called by accident, it's probably as confused as you are." Plus, forming a contract with a human soul takes a lot of careful calculated steps and intense magical energy no 13-year-old can possibly do, not even accidentally.

"If it looks like an animal, it's probably drawn to your soul and is either helpful or protective in nature. Like your mom's dove, Milo." Syani carefully eyes Mitsuko's reaction to that, hoping she did not trigger anything by saying that as an example. She sees the utter loss in the angel's eyes and promptly decides to pour the lavender tea in Mitsuko's cup.

"You can only form a contract with an animal spirit if both you and that spirit consents to it. As of right now, it seems only that spirit is consenting, so it will fade away from you after half a day." From experience, Syani has summoned some kind of snake spirit before, but it looked to be so much in pain, Syani decided to free it instead. It's important to respect these spirits, because they may have used to be living beings.

"If you consent to it staying with you, then the contract is formed." The witch ended her short lesson on evocation.

[NPC: Female]

Savannah listened to her aunt’s lesson and explanation and then breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t conjure up anything—what she did do was an evocation. “It’s an animal spirit! It’s a wolf, and it’s kinda cute! But… I am not sure what to do. If I am the one that summoned this, then a part of my heart wants something to watch over me. And it doesn’t look like it’s in pain or anything, or anything DEMONIC so… but… I think I have to let it go. If we give it half a day, it should vanish right? So, I’ll do that then! Thanks Aunty! Mom? Can you come visit me after you leave Auntie’s place? I need help to get set up for my period, so I am comfortable away from home.”

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko cleared her throat, took a sip of her lavender tea and she tried to hide everything that she was going through right now. But her eyes would betray her true emotions and so she took a deep breath before responding. “I would love to honey. I’ll be at your dorm later tonight, okay? And please promise me you’ll continue pursuing the knowledge that you are after. You are obviously curious about the spirit world, so you have my permission to study it, but don’t get carried away, okay? Make good decisions. And I’ll bring you a book that is based on a Korean legend. The book is called The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. It will give you spirit world vibes, but it is a beautiful book, so I’ll give it to you to read. It even includes a legend that your father and I believe in. The red string of fate. It’s a love story.” After hearing Savannah gush about love stories and feeling happy that she got her mother’s blessing to continue her course, they both said I love you, and Mitsuko hung up the call, and then she texted Zero asking him that when he has a moment to go into their library and take out that specific book for Savannah, as she’s sending Eve to pick it up from home and will be seeing their daughter tonight at her school. She ended the text by saying that she loved him.

Eventually with all the loose ends and motherly responsibilities all solved Mitsuko tried to wipe the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She tried so hard not to cry in front of her sister, but she has to learn that leaning on a loved one for support is okay. And she isn’t a burden on anyone. And she remembered Zero’s words to her last night: To allow herself to be supported in return.

She truthfully didn’t know how to open up about her struggles, but this was Syani she was with. Her sister, and that sisterhood bond was always there even if they didn’t see each other or talk to each other often, they were always thinking of each other. And building a support system wasn’t going to happen on its own. Mitsuko had to open up so that people could know and understand what she was going through. “I’m so sorry. I came to you about something else entirely but… If you have some time to spare, I’d like to talk to you about something sis. Please listen without judgement before you respond it’s going to be a bit of a doozy.” So, Mitsuko began speaking from her heart about the breakdown in her marriage that was caused by her having PPD.

She also explained that she was going to see a doctor and get a diagnosis and medication, and a treatment plan to help her heal from this but she also voiced how scared she was. She was so swept up by her own responsibilities as a mother, wife, friend, Inn Keeper, nurse that she didn’t even notice what was happening to her. Her own family didn’t notice what was happening to her, so they all isolated themselves from her and her from them and when Zero tried to talk to her about it, it felt like he was interrogating her instead of communicating much more gently. “Yesterday was the first day I really did talk to Zero about everything. He felt like my best friend again, and I felt like myself, but I know I need treatment for this to heal, this won’t go away on its own.” She blushed at this next part that she was confiding in her sister about, but she did so in a hushed tone due to Siofra. “And when I had sex with Zero last night it just felt like a weight lifted off me. The way he touched me, paid attention… cared for me… I… I’m saying too much aren’t I? I’m sorry. He hasn’t touched me like that in years. And I just felt like it was all my fault. All I did was have my daughter. I wasn’t like this after I had Matthew, which in hindsight… I think I was pregnant on my wedding day and just didn’t know. I was doing well after Matthew was born. Savannah was more of a struggle. Breast feeding her was hard, those breast pumps were painful, and I got little to no rest at all. Why do women have to go through this just because they want children? I’d never ever hurt my children either.” And Mitsuko sobbed.

She broke down. She felt bad by how she treated the man she loved, but she didn’t know what was happening to her at the time and until she and Zero talked about it earlier on the phone. “There were times where I was crying on the inside sis that I wanted to pack up Matthew and just move away from this continent. But I know that would have hurt Zero as he loves both of his children… Because of my behaviors caused by PPD I’m sure my husband wanted to divorce me, and he probably felt so unloved. How could I do that to him? I love Zero sis. How could I have not known? This PPD thing snuck up on me over time, affected my behaviors toward my husband, causing a breakdown in my marriage slightly and that caused me to feel even more alone, because my husband and I became strangers. Until last night at least. And today. Before meeting with you Zero and I had a long conversation on the way here. He's going to make me a doctor's appointment and come with me, and get me a medicine diary to keep track of my treatment." But the angel still sobbed. The very thought of Zero giving up on her hurt her heart and she was scared of that.

[Syani]

Syani finally pours herself the tea once Savannah sounds like she's made up her mind on what to do. She then sits down and takes a sip of it with a smile, after hearing her niece asking Mitsuko to visit her after this. "Mmn. I can help with that. No need to take any transportation, I'll teleport your mom to you, Savannah." It is her job within the touring industry to do this for people. "But! Your payment to me is to be honest with your mom about these things, capiche?"

Once the call ended, Syani puts down her cup of tea on the tiny saucer in front of her. Without speaking, she scoots her chair closer beside Mitsuko and reaches an arm up behind her shoulders in a one-handed hug. With a flick of her wrist, a pink handkerchief magically appears in her other hand as she offers that to the teary-eyed angel. "It's okay to cry, you know?" Syani said softly, leaning her head sideways on Mitsuko's shoulder as she says in a quiet voice, "Tears fall for a reason, as they are your strength. Let's celebrate that strength together, okay?"

A white dove and a black raven flew overhead. Mitsuko and Syani can be seen as two opposites; one draws from light, and the other finds comfort in shadows. What draws them together, is they are both half of something. Mitsuko is half angel, while Syani is half vampire, but they are both half human. They both embrace this humanity in them, and through humanity, they connect.

Once Mitsuko is ready to speak, Syani hums in respond and slowly raises her head from leaning against Mitsuko, but her arm is still behind the angel for support. The topic she shared was indeed heavy, all resulting from a serious case of post-partum depression. The witch nods her head every so often as Mitsuko explains further. "I understand..." By how deeply her tone sounded, it's safe to admit that Syani can empathize with Mitsuko's experience.

She was glad to hear that frog of a husband of Mitsuko is at least being supportive, by the sound of it. When the angel starts whispering to her, Syani leans closer, only to be confided in about how happy she sounded by her recent sexual escapade. "Don't be embarrassed or sorry about that. You're just sharing your happiness, and I for one welcome any and all happiness." Syani's expression is open, her eyes are vast and welcoming to all sorts of good news.

The angel's struggle with Savannah since she was born seems to be weighting heavily on her soul. It hurts her heart to see her sister this guilt-ridden and stuck in this horrible emotional limbo. Syani tightens her arm behind Mitsuko's shoulders, holding her close as she sobbed. "Hey. Do you know what's the bravest thing you can ever say?" She looks to her sister, trying to find her misty blue eyes. "'Help.'"

A peaceful smile is on Syani's face as she uncovers what seems to be a secret of the universe. "Asking for help isn't giving up. It's refusing to give up. And I'm so proud of you for reaching out to us like this." Syani has seen her sister going through one turbulence after another in her life for a decade or so more. She knows for a fact that Mitsuko is strong enough. Depression is attacking the wrong girl. "Every time I see you, pieces of your soul are scattered and missing, and your wings gets new bruises. Yet, whenever you see someone needing help, you spread your wounded wings widely. Your heart is always beating so certainly, and Zero lit a fire of life on your vanishing heart..." Syani speaks so clearly and brightly, it almost seems like she's peering right into Mitsuko's soul to lay it bare for her to see. "...Because you have wings that changes pain and agony into love. An abundance of love. That's who you are. You are so full of love, and you bring to this world things no one else can."

Syani reaches her other arm around Mitsuko, hugging her closely. "You'll get through this, Mi-nee." She whispered in the angel's ear, fully believing in her heart that Mitsuko will kick depression's ass to next Tuesday. Once Syani releases Mitsuko, she cracks a joke, "Plus I doubt that stubborn idiot will give up on you. He's too stupid to do that." Mitsuko is everything in Zero's life, no matter what happens, Syani refuses to believe Zero will leave her for any reason whatsoever.

"He's on your corner right now, right?" Syani's long black hair slides off her shoulder as she tilts her head with a wide smile, a wondrous expression both befitting a young child and a mature young woman. "Then there's nothing that you two can't do. You'll be invincible with him." The biggest obstacle is nearing the couple, and they're already flying overhead, about to soar through it. Syani can see it with her mind's eye; Zero climbing this obstacle with fierce abandon while Mitsuko glides upwards to reach the very end of the horizon with him. She has full trust that things will turn out alright, as long as they have each other.

"You're so brave to be telling me of all your deepest thoughts, Mi-nee. Thank you." Her golden eyes almost glittered with the sun's rays against them. Post-partum depression is no joke, but she's talking to a Cipher right now. Nobody has gone through as much shit as them. "You don't need to be scared. Your husband is a one-man army, and you're an envoy of strength itself. Matthew is your anchor, and Savannah is the wind against your sails. I know in my heart that all of them will support you, as long as you allow them to."

Syani pulls her arm away from Mitsuko's shouders and reaches out for her hand closest to her instead, squeezing it. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko was so on point about her sisterhood with Syani—it WAS healthy even decades later, even after getting married, having children. All of it. They didn’t have to always talk to maintain their connection, but there were times in their sisterhood where they would talk all the time about everything. Anything. They ebbed and flowed super easily but were still healthy for each other. Still loved each other immensely as sisters do. That unspoken level of trust can be a rarity these days. They both had family and children of their own but having a heart-to-heart like this helped Mitsuko’s tears ease and she just hugged her sister in silence. Thanking her for listening to what she was going through. But to build a support system Mitsuko had to let people know. She had to be open. She had to be courageous and let others into her heart even if she was facing difficulty—whether it’d be in her marriage to Zero, her depression, the loss of Milo… No matter what the difficulty was it was okay to share those things—even better when the person experiencing the difficulty can move forward slowly and not stay stuck forever by healing their own life over time by doing small actions that made them feel better— helping them see how special they were to the people in their lives. That the person experiencing difficulties is still valuable. And for Mitsuko one of those actions was having sex with her husband—she missed that kind of intimacy because it embodied both the emotional and physical connection, in addition to hanging out, joking around, singing, raising her kids, and enjoying the life she shared with Zero, and doing her best to create a happy home for her family where she and Zero lived. Syani was right. Things were going to get better. And Mitsuko was going to be okay. Hearing what her sister said to her, as long as they all had each other they'd get through anything together as a family. Mitsuko texted that to Zero, telling him that they will get through things together. 

When the angel saw this handkerchief appear out of nowhere due to Syani’s magic she laughed and then switched topics. “Remind me again why I can be so afraid of magic? Even though I have abilities of my own? Which is also what I wanted to talk to you about. Black magic. I’m still worried about my daughter and what she’s studying, and you know her she can get a little too curious for her own good. Is there anything I should know about black magic that I can tell Savannah? Or a book or something? I don’t want to hinder my daughter’s thirst for knowledge, but I’m worried about that. I don’t want her to get hurt, or cursed, or haunted by anything and based on what I heard about black magic it’s the type where you don’t get something without giving something in return. And she’s not old enough yet to understand the responsibility that carries."

[Syani]

At Mitsuko's topic change, Syani figured this is the main reason she's coming all this way to visit her. "Ahh, so it's about black magic~" The half vampire stood up from her chair to place it back to where it once was. "Oh, but please, take some treats! Help yourself." Politely, she places some sandwiches and tarts to Eve's and Mitsuko's plates. Only after that did Syani sits down on her seat.

"Alright!" She claps her hands together, clearly excited to share her knowledge with someone curious. Then she gestures both her hands up in front of her with her palms open, as if trying to calm Mitsuko. "But first, I would like to preface by saying that you need to understand energy is just energy; it is neither divine nor is it evil."

She tries to think of an example and snapped her finger. "It's kind of like electricity. It can help by lighting your house from darkness, but it can also become a way to torture like an electric chair. It just depends on who is operating it at the moment." She pauses with a smile, gauging whether the angel can manage to pick up where she's going with this.

"This applies to black magic as well. It doesn't mean it's inherently evil or demonic in nature. Like anything, there's a positive use to it and then there's a negative use to it. See it as energy. There's no need to fear it. What you should fear is if the practitioner has bad intentions." All the humor and good nature in Syani's expression disappears as she said so. Black magic is no joke if it's in the wrong hands.

Though then, her expression softens considerably as she smiles. "Which is precisely why there's no reason to worry about Savannah. She's a good kid with a good heart. Plus, she also has your protection necklace, the cross one. Your energy is protecting her from negative influences. She will be completely fine." Syani nods resolutely. That daughter of Mitsuko's may be a bit too impulsive sometimes, but she has so much support from her family, she will never stray too far from the angelic influences that Mitsuko provided in their lives. "Though, you're a mother. Perhaps it's unrealistic for me to say 'don't worry' because of course you'll worry. She's your precious daughter..." Syani's eyes wandered to look at Siofra playing in the distance.

"You know, Mi-nee... I'm amazed that you're able to be open-minded enough to accept your daughter's interests despite your own fears and reservations." Golden eyes stares straight towards Mitsuko's blue eyes in admiration.

Syani then reaches over to the 3-tier tea stand to pick some of the scrumptious tiny little snacks Kaekeru prepared for their tea party and puts them on her plate. She takes a bite and lets out a happy sound. Sweets are truly humanity's best invention.

"To be honest, you raised your kids pretty well despite your PPD. They've grown to see you as a safe person to talk to. If something goes wrong, they won't hide things from you. They will immediately seek you out to ask for your help, and I think that's very important." Syani nods, offering her two cents about Matthew and Savannah. She takes a spoonful of pudding from its little cup and pops it in her mouth as she looks over her own child.

"Siofra however..." She bites on the spoon as it hangs from her lips loosely. Then she takes it away from her mouth to speak. "She's so spoiled. There is no one in her life right now who's trying to criticize or bring her down, so I think she will most likely turn out to be... annoyingly confident in the future." Syani giggles, taking another spoonful of pudding in her mouth. "It's going to be fun watching her grow and learn that things aren't as easy as she makes it out to be. Heh."

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko blushed at her sister’s compliment about how despite her PPD she was raising her children well, and that she was open minded about Savannah’s interests and encouraging her to pursue knowledge. “I.. I try sis.. I mean of course black magic scares me, of course her taking a spirit related class concerned me.. but like you said it is about energy, intention, how you use it. Just because I have fears and concerns, doesn’t mean I should project it on my daughter—I try not to. I want her to have a wealth of knowledge about things because she has that curiosity. We fear things we don’t understand which can then lead to prejudice. And Savannah’s personality is she lives her life by instinct, and I can’t take that away from her just because I am a concerned mom. She needs to be who she is. Just like Matthew does.” Mitsuko closed her eyes gently as she spoke about her son.

“My son however is different. He’s very careful and thinks things through before he makes a decision, and as you know he’s attached to me even as a teenager. He gets anxiety if I’m not at home for an extended period. He’s growing out of that slowly, but at the same time I’m still touched that my son still wants to be close to his parents. Some teenagers can’t wait to have more independence and be out of the home more, but Matthew loves spending time with us. And Zero was more of a helicopter parent when Matthew was born because of his heart condition. So even my husband is learning to balance out when to give Matthew some healthy space while also being involved in his son’s life and not missing a moment. Matthew is our first born, and the apple of Zero’s eye you know? That was the first family Zero got that shared the blood that runs in his veins after having no family for so long. Starting our family meant the world to him.” Just thinking at the fact that she was pregnant with Matthew on her wedding day made her smile.

Mitsuko smiled when they started talking about Siofra. “As for Siofra, the cutest fairy princess in the world, you have nothing to apologize for or to feel bad about spoiling her. You tried for a very long time to start your family so it’s understandable why you would spoil her. And just by looking at my niece I can tell that she’s happy and being raised by two loving parents, and I am so glad that her parents are you and Kaekeru. You love your daughter and that’s all that really should matter. Children grow up so fast sis. My kids are now teenagers and in just a few short years they will be young adults that will eventually move out. So, spend as much time as you can with your daughter. Keep playing with her, keep encouraging her imagination, and with how many toys she has she is learning a lot through active play even if it seems like she’s being silly or saying funny words, or not making much sense at times, she’s learning, and she’s very bright.”

Mitsuko smiled at her sister as she locked eyes with her. “Don’t feel bad or guilty. I don’t think Siofra is going to grow up to be selfish. She will have that generosity in her heart to share with others— because you and her father have always been so generous with your time. No matter how busy or tired you both are from the everyday responsibilities of life you still make time to spend with her. You don’t just rush out on her because work calls. You make time with for her and that to me is good parenting.” The angel then took something out of her tote bag. “Sis I wanted to show you this. You gave me this birthday card a decade ago and you blessed it with good luck, it took a while for it to come true. But it did. Good things always happen. It’s energy like you said and that positivity will be blessed back to you, your husband, and your daughter.”

[Kaekeru]

Kaekeru smiled lovingly and proudly at his beloved wife's assertion that his work was perfect. He always only wanted the best for his beloved wife and beautiful daughter. They were the only people in his world that mattered to him so completely, as though his very existence depended upon their smiles. His eyes followed Syani as she walked away and brought back his cloak for him. "Thank you, my dear" He said with a smile, happy that she's concerned for his safety when he wasn't even thinking about that at the moment.

Kaekeru chuckled slightly as his beloved wife referred to his decorations as appearing like a fairytale. He turned his attention back to his beautiful daughter as she began to talk about fairy tales and assigning roles. "Protect the dinosaurs, my little fairy princess?" Kaekeru replied to Siofra in amusement while trying to don his new role. "Where might we find such powerful mushrooms?"

Kaekeru smiled at his beloved wife as she explained the meaning of Siofra's name. "Every day can be a fairytale as long as my beloved Queen and Princess are happy." Kaekeru said, still obviously playing along with the fairy King role as he dubbed them Queen and Princess.

Kaekeru chuckled quietly as he heard Siofra's voice in Syani's ringtone. He smiled at his beloved wife, seeing in her mind what she was reading, only really interested in the estimated arrival time. He turned his attention back to Siofra after noting to himself that it should be about an hour or so.

Kaekeru gladly played along with Siofra's imaginative games, merely happy that his family was happy. He chuckled slightly at Siofra naming Syani the villain in the story and he smiled at his beloved wife lovingly. He then followed Siofra around the garden as they gathered things Siofra decided were necessary.

When Siofra went off to ask her beloved mother who was on the phone, Kaekeru just remained standing where she'd left him. He watched them with a slight smile, not particularly wanting to get involved in the conversation.

At Syani's announcement that her friends have arrived, Kaekeru nodded in acknowledgement and walked over to Siofra. "Fairy princess Siofra, have we gathered enough for the quest yet?" He asked her with a gentle smile, trying to keep her distracted while her beloved mother went to collect her guests.

Kaekeru's expression around guests is more blank than when he's only with his immediately family. He's always been more of an introvert and tends to be rather private. The only person he ever truly felt comfortable opening up around was Syani, and now their beautiful daughter as well. Around other people, even those whom he's known for a while now as friends of Syani, he tends to revert into a more polite and reserved stance. He's always polite with people Syani likes who are trustworthy. Almost too polite to the point of it being awkward after a while of knowing them, as though it's hard for him to fully acknowledge them as being close.

"Welcome to our home." Kaekeru greets them politely with a small nod. "I hope you can all have a good time together." He gestured to the table he'd prepared briefly.

When Syani had come back with the tea, Kaekeru nodded at her with a small smile, then moved forward to scoop Siofra back up into his arms and carried her back into the garden to give Syani and her friends some privacy. While walking away, he can almost be heard asking Siofra how they will protect this new dinosaur.

[Syani]

Syani smiles proudly at her sister admitting that she wants Savannah to learn as much as she wants, and to be who she truly is. Mitsuko also confided about her son, Matthew, and the difficult childhood he had as a child due to his poor heart. The smile left Syani's face as she recalls that fact, that poor kid had went through a lot. "Oh yeah... I remember you told me you got woken up at night a lot because of Matthew's weakening heart... You had to give your energy to him... Maybe that's why he's so attached to you. He's literally sharing your energy with you." If that is the case, Syani wondered if that's how Matthew is so in-tune with Mitsuko's feelings. Matthew can feel what she's feeling, and if she's feeling down, he feels it also. "Mi-nee. I hope both you and Matthew will get treatment and feel much better soon."

At the topic of Siofra, Syani sighs. That kid really is a bundle of insane energy. Her black bangs falls over her eyes briefly as she looks down, listening to Mitsuko assuring her that Siofra taking a long time to arrive can be a blessing. Syani looks over at Kaekeru happily playing along with his daughter's make believe session and whispers, "That man has been through too much in his life, and I will fight the fates if they won't treat him kinder." Her voice sounds darkly angry, but her face expression remains calm. "But Siofra has single-handedly changed that, and I will not allow the fates to give her that same pain. Never again." As she looks over at Mitsuko, her eyes showed an intinsic understanding between mothers. They both have gained unbelievable strength they have never realized; a fierce and almost rampaging need to protect their children despite the odds.

When Mitsuko told her that Siofra won't grow up to be selfish, Syani sat up straighter. "Oh, but sometimes, being selfish can be a good thing!" Syani's smile returns, as if that darkness that clouds her face was entirely an illusion. "Which is something that you should learn, Mi-nee. Seriously, you need to be selfish sometimes and stop helping people all the time. You've helped TONS of people around this domain every single time for years! Help yourself too~" Syani points an accusatory finger to the selfless angel. She keeps her eyes on the angel as she takes a bite of a sandwich, happy to find it's vegetarian-friendly.

Once the angel showed her something from her tote bag, Syani audibly gasped. "Hey! I remember that!! Wow, that takes me back!" She leans forward on her seat to see the little card with clovers on it. It does her heart good to know that her little good luck card was so positively appreciated by Mitsuko. She smiles wider when the angel blesses Syani's family in return. "Thank you, sis! I enjoy our relationship and sisterhood through the years. Thank you for still having me in your heart."

It was a healthily comforting relationship between them that they have enjoyed and will continue to do so for the years to come. Syani is glad that Mitsuko came to stop by. "Next time you come over, bring your kids over! Perhaps when they're having summer break from school. I'm sure Siofra would love to play with them." Siofra is so young compared to Matthew and Savannah, but those two kids of Mitsuko's are so kind and accomodating to little Siofra, she felt included and cared for in their activities. "Mattthew can teach her art, and Savannah can show her how to be gentle to animals, in respect to Snowdrop!"

They went to school together, so Syani can only recall bits and pieces of Mitsuko's life back in Diabolic Domain, the white fire-lizard being one of it.

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko smiled when her sister called her out- mentioning that she has to learn to be selfish sometimes and funny thing is Zero would 100 percent agree with what Syani just said even if the two of them don’t really get along. “I’ll try sis I’ll try to say no more often. For my own health and for the health of my family, they need my good energy too and not just breadcrumbs of it. I do want to thank you very much for your hospitality today, thank you for welcoming me into your home no matter how long it has been, and for listening to my troubles. If there is anything you can learn from my situation is that families will get through anything together if they have a strong healthy bond to begin with.” She paused thinking of her husband for a second and looked shocked that she forgot to give him back his credit card when she found it in her wallet—especially when she didn’t use it. She looks at the credit card in disbelief as using other people’s credit cards makes her nervous, even when permission is given and even though it’s her husband’s. “Zero’s—… I’m sorry can I make a quick call sis?”

And she dialed up her husband looking very emotional when she did because they were getting back together in a way. They didn’t break up but the feelings of getting back together after years of emotional distance and not really talking to each other were very touching to see. Being reconnected with the one she loved most was important to her. And when he answered her call the tears flowed. “Hello Zero? I am so sorry... I probably should have texted you this, but I still have your credit card. I forgot to give it back to you before I left this morning…I..” And she just really wanted to hear his voice. “Since I do have it... may I use it for some things for Savannah? She needs period supplies, some comfort food, comfortable clothes, and I want to get her a ring. I found something for her that she would like. I have money on me but.. I may need your card’s help.” She listened to Zero’s voice and how happy he was that she called him, his voice too was shaky and emotional, and he mentioned that if Matthew was well enough that they would go out together for a little bit. “Oh, does he look better than how he was this morning? If so, that’s alright with me. Just take care of him honey. Try not to go too far out. Thank you. I love you and yes, I have sent Eve on her way to pick up the book.”

When Mitsuko hung up, she dried her eyes. “Sorry about that sis. I just wanted to check on my family.” Having Zero’s credit card gave Mitsuko a reason to call her husband directly to talk to him. She wasn’t that much of a texter—she was more of a person that liked phone calls.

Mitsuko then stood up from where she sat and gently gathered a few treats for her children and had received some herbal remedies for Matthew from her sister. They both shared a loving hug, and then the angel went to go and say goodbye to Siofra and Kaekeru. She held Siofra in her arms for a moment and hugged her niece gently. "Next time I will bring Matthew and Savannah, okay? They love you too.” Feeling renewed and full of hope, Mitsuko smiled at her sister, and they shared a loving embrace, and exchanged I love yous before she was teleported to Savannah. Syani’s and Mitsuko’s sisterhood would last for an entire lifetime as they each got comfort from each other. It didn’t matter how often they saw each other. What mattered to the two of them was that they were sisters for life. They will always be there for each other.

Inside of the birthday card it reads:

I am always treasuring our friendship, without counting the miles between us,

days we've been apart, or the differences we share,

we are sisters by heart.

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY MI-NEE!

Love, Syani.

[End thread]