The group stared at the wanderer, most of them in the middle of eating their evening meal of mushrooms grilled with freshly caught rabbit. Willow continued to munch on said meal while nestled close to her sister, eager to get as much time with her as she could.

  She was still curious about what her mentor had to say of course, but food was best while it was warm.

  Rowan put the haunch of meat he was eating back down on his plate.

  “I’m assuming there’s a reason you haven’t mentioned such a place sooner?” He rumbled, not upset, but still not happy that the wanderer had kept an option from them for so long.

  Mu stared into the fire for a time and Willow could feel her mentor’s old grief. “There’s nothin’ wrong with the land if that’s your worry. It’s just a tad personal to me so I hoped you lot would be able to solve your own issues without my assistance.”

  “Is it the place we stayed that first night we got to the city?” Willow piped in, remembering how uncomfortable the small compound had made her mentor.

  “Aye. The very same.” She nodded to her apprentice.

  “So it’s a plot of land you own that you’d be willing to sell to us with no strings attached?” Jieun asked, hesitant and suspicious of the wanderer’s motivations, but hopeful that a home would soon be found.

  Mu gave her a wry smile. “I’m not selling it to you, and there’d be some strings, but they’re minor. Plus, since I’m such a generous soul, I’ll even be paying you all to stay there so long as you agree to my terms.”

  The group stewed in silence for a moment, weighing their few options. They could continue to wander aimlessly and struggle more to find a place to belong, or they could take the hand being offered to them.

  “What are your terms?” Rowan asked, suspecting he’d likely accept unless they were truly abhorrent.

  “Repair and maintain the property. It’s currently in a bit of a state, but I’ll be footing the bill for that. I already had someone come by periodically and do some cleaning, but time has taken its toll, and it’s in worse shape than I was expectin’. Need you lot to put it back together.”

  The group waited, expecting more.

  But nothing more came.

  “That’s it?” Jieun asked.

  Mu shrugged. “That’s it, though don’t be underestimatin’ how much work needs to be done to maintain and rebuild the place. For the duration of your stay you can use the property how you like, so long as the layout remains roughly the same. There’s even a space out in the back that Beardy can use as he likes for his farmin’.”

  Rowan stroked his bushy beard. “Why be so generous with a family you barely have ties to? You’ve already done so much, and we’ve paid you back so little.”

  The scholar raised a brow at the large man. “I already got properly paid for my prior services. This is just a favor for the family of my apprentice, nothing more. If you like, you can keep searching for a new home during your stay so you can feel less like you’re in my debt. Either way we can hash out the details properly in the morning, for now let’s just enjoy the meal and sleep on things, aye?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  The group looked at the wanderer with a mix of emotions, but went with her suggestion and tucked back into their meal. After a short time, muffled conversations started back up and the clattering of utensils on plates could be heard around the cookfire.

  However, Willow had already finished her food while the adults had their discussion, so now she needed something to do while the others ate. She nestled closer to her sister, resting her head in the young woman’s lap, and looking up at her while she ate her food.

  “What’s up, little gnome?” Maple asked while being careful to not get food on her little sister. “You’re not normally this clingy.”

  Willow had a question she wanted answered, but was unsure how to broach it delicately. Since the end of their search for a home was in sight it meant she had little time left to ask it, and she wanted an answer despite fearing what it may be.

  So she decided to forgo delicacy.

  “Would you still like me if I turned into a boy?” She closed her eyes to give herself just a moment’s extra time without knowing her sister’s reaction, though her spiritual senses spoiled the answer.

  It was mostly confusion tinged with amusement. Which at least put her in a similar mood to their father when he first found out.

  “Where’s this coming from?” Maple was used to her sister asking odd questions, but this one had an undercurrent of seriousness that was uncommon for how fantastical the hypothetical was.

  Willow fidgeted in her sister’s lap.

  “I turn into a boy sometimes because of Harmony and Change. I even spent a while as one to see what it’s like while you were gone.”

  Maple set her plate with its remaining food aside.

  Willow felt her sister’s confusion take greater prominence.

  Yet no darker emotions took root.

  “That’s… interesting? I’m honestly having trouble picturing it though.” She began to run her fingers through her little sister’s thick and curly hair.

  Willow grew a bit more comfortable, the knot of worry untangling itself from inside her. “I don’t really look all that different when I change. Though I do get some extra bits which feels super weird.”

  Maple’s nose scrunched. “That sounds unpleasant for you, is there a way to stop it from happening?”

  “Not really? It happens whenever I do core training now, but I’ve gotten used to it. Plus it’s fun being different when people aren’t being weird about it.”

  The hair stroking stopped, and a scowl crossed her features.

  “Was Yew bullying you when you stayed as a boy?”

  “What? No! He was actually really nice about it. We’re friends now even.”

  Willow glanced over to where his brother was eating and chatting with Bai. “Though we haven’t played much since we met back up with you guys.”

  Maple’s expression evened back out again, though the girl noted an undercurrent of sadness.

  “Sounds like a lot happened while we were gone, huh?”

  “Yup!” Memories of all the joy-filled times with Jieun and her spirits crowded her mind. “There was a lot of fun stuff that happened and I made a lot of new friends! I even turned myself to stone!”

  Maple looked at the child bemusedly. “Stone huh.”

  “Yeah, it freaked out Aunt Jieun. I can turn myself back though so it’s fine. A bunch of stuff happened with her.”

  Memories of a corpse and the demon that created it briefly flashed through her mind accompanied by the night her aunt was taken, before she quickly suppressed them.

  “Not all of it was fun.”

  Maple resumed stroking Willow’s hair. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  The girl shook her head. “Not really. Want to meet my new friends instead?”

  Her sister chuckled. “Sure Willow.”

  The two of them talked into the evening. Two sisters reconnecting and sharing the moments the other had missed while they were apart.

  patreon much recently. So I figured I'd do that real quick.