"Sure, leave the orphanage to me," Serena said, stretching her arms high above her head.

Her back arched as she tensed her muscles, and I caught myself staring as her breasts hung forward with the movement, her dress pulling tight across her body.

I quickly looked away, heat creeping up my neck.

Focus, Rune.

I'd asked Serena to take care of the orphanage in Seraphina's place. With everything that had happened, the kids needed someone strong, someone capable. Serena was perfect for it.

Behind me, Lydia stood silently against the wall, arms crossed, watching everything with those observant eyes of hers.

She was new here, didn't know anyone, and no one knew her. She'd left her friends, left Commander Quinn and Tugnier, left everything familiar to follow me.

And here I was, letting her stand there like some stray.

I sighed, guilt settling heavy in my chest.

I turned and smiled at Lydia. She tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face.

I'll make it up to you. I promise.

I walked inside where Sera was, while still holding the kid. Through the doorway, I could see her sitting on the floor with the kids gathered around her.

They were laughing, actual, genuine laughter. The sound was so different from the hollow silence that had filled this place before.

The dusk light filtered through the windows, painting everything in warm oranges and soft purples. It caught Sera's features just right, sharpening the line of her jaw, the curve of her cheek, making her look almost ethereal. Beautiful in a way that made my chest tighten.

She turned and noticed me standing there. Emily looked up too, her bright eyes finding mine.

Sera stood up smoothly, her face lighting up with a genuine smile that reached her eyes. "Welcome back."

Her voice was soft, warm. Like coming home after a long day.

They've recovered. Good job, Sera.

I noticed Gin sitting off to the side, his small frame hunched slightly. He glanced at me, then quickly looked away again, his expression guarded.

Emily was holding his hand tight, so tight her little knuckles were white, as if she had no intention of letting him retreat back to his study room anytime soon.

I stepped fully into the room, and all the children turned to look at me. Some smiled. Others just watched quietly, still healing in their own ways.

"Everyone," I said, keeping my voice gentle. "I want you to meet someone."

I gestured toward the doorway where Serena stood, leaning casually against the frame. She straightened up when all eyes turned to her, but her expression remained calm, confident.

"This is Serena," I continued. "She's going to be staying here at the orphanage with all of you. She'll be taking care of you, just like Sister Seraphina did."

The room went quiet. A few of the younger kids exchanged nervous glances.

"She's strong," I added, smiling. "Really strong. And she cares about people, even if she doesn't always show it right away."

Serena raised an eyebrow at me but didn't argue.

Emily stood up, still holding Gin's hand, and walked over to Serena, dragging him with her.

She looked up at her, this tall, intimidating woman with a sharp gaze, and then, without hesitation, she smiled.

"Are you going to look after us?" Emily asked simply.

Serena blinked, clearly caught off guard. For a moment, her tough exterior cracked just slightly.

Then she crouched down to Emily's level, her knee touching the floor, her dress pooling around her.

"Yeah," Serena said quietly. "I will."

Emily's smile grew wider. "Okay. Then you can stay."

As if a ten-year-old's approval was all that mattered. She really makes a good leader.

Serena's lips twitched into a small, almost shy smile. It was such a contrast to her usual confidence that I couldn't help but grin.

One by one, the other kids started warming up. A few brave ones approached, asking questions like what kind of magic could she do? Was she really that strong? Could she teach them stuff?

Serena handled it all surprisingly well, answering patiently, even laughing when one of the boys asked if she could burn down a mountain.

With Serena's appearence falling in the same age group with Seraphina.. late twenties or early thirties... kids seemed to have no trouble bonding with her.

I glanced over at Sera, who was watching the whole scene with soft eyes. She looked at me and mouthed, Thank you.

I nodded.

Then I turned back to the doorway, where Lydia was still standing, arms crossed, watching everything unfold.

Her expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes, maybe loneliness, maybe longing.

I walked over to her.

"Come on," I said quietly, holding out my hand. "Let me introduce you too."

She hesitated, her gaze flickering to my hand, then back to my face. Then, slowly, she uncrossed her arms and placed her hand in mine.

Her fingers were warm. Smaller than I expected.

I led her into the room, and all eyes turned to us again.

"Everyone, this is Lydia," I said. "She's... well, she's with me now. She's going to be helping us too."

Lydia stood stiffly beside me, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention. But Emily, bless that kid, immediately ran over and grabbed Lydia's other hand.

"Are you strong too?" Emily asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Lydia blinked down at her, completely thrown off. Then, slowly, her expression softened. Just a little.

"I... yeah. I am," she said quietly.

Emily grinned. "Good. Then you can stay too."

What is this? Training center?

Gin sighed softly as if he found all this absurd. High IQ problems.

But still... I couldn't help but smile. Leave it to a ten-year-old to make everything simple.

Lydia looked at me, and for the first time since we'd arrived, there was something other than uncertainty in her eyes.

Relief. Gratitude. Maybe even hope.

I squeezed her hand gently.

Welcome home.

Lydia smiled warmly, her cheeks turning pink aginst the golden dusk light.

**************

"Hmmm~ it tastes wonderful!"

Emily's voice rang out cheerfully as she carefully balanced Serena's baby in her lap. We'd hesitated to let a ten-year-old hold an infant, but Emily had been so insistent, so gentle, that we'd finally given in.

And surprisingly, she was doing well, rocking the baby softly while managing to eat her dinner at the same time.

Serena had cooked tonight. The smell of roasted vegetables and seasoned meat filled the dining hall, making my stomach rumble.

We'd kicked out the previous caretaker earlier. She was probably just now finding out what happened at the town square, the heads on pikes, the SBV bodies, all of it.

I didn't think that poor woman would ever come back to Larkshade. Not that I blamed her.

Lydia sat to my right, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from her.

Her eyes were soft, her smile genuine as she watched the kids devour the food she and Serena had prepared together. There was something peaceful about her expression, like this simple moment meant more to her than she'd admit.

In the center of the room, Sera sat surrounded by children, with Serena joining in their games between bites of food. They were laughing, playing, acting like this was some kind of festival. For them, maybe it was. A celebration of something new, something hopeful.

They'd remember Seraphina once the party mood wore off. The grief would come back eventually. But I was sure Serena could handle it when it did.

Lydia shifted closer, closing the small gap between us. Our shoulders almost touched now.

"Hey, Rune," she said softly.

I turned to look at her. Her black hair fell over one shoulder, catching the warm lamplight. Her eyes searched mine, curious but cautious.

"Is it okay to leave Serena here when she made her name as a vigilante challenging the government?"

I smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be solving that problem soon too."

Her eyebrows drew together slightly. "Solve the problem...?"

I just kept smiling. I couldn't exactly explain the future to her, that I'd be meeting Cass, that I had plans, requests I'd make. It was too complicated, too many moving pieces she didn't know about yet.

Lydia's lips pushed forward in a small pout, her cherry-colored lips looking softer in the dim light. She nudged me with her elbow, harder than necessary.

"You don't tell me anything! Hmph!" She turned her face away from me dramatically, her hair swishing with the movement.

"Come on... it's hard to explain," I said, keeping my voice low so the kids wouldn't overhear. "Besides, you'll be with me always anyway. You'll find out soon enough."

The moment the words left my mouth, I saw her freeze.

Her eyes widened slightly, just a fraction. Pink bloomed across her cheeks, spreading from her nose to her ears.

She quickly scooted back to her original spot, putting that small gap between us again.

"O-of course," she stammered, her voice coming out higher than usual. Her index finger immediately found a loose strand of her hair and began twirling it nervously, a habit I was starting to recognize.

She stared down at her plate, clearly flustered, pretending to be very interested in her food suddenly.

I couldn't help but smile.

She looked... cute like this.

"Lydia," I said quietly.

"Mm?" She didn't look up, still twirling that strand of hair.

"Thank you. For being here."

Her hand stopped moving. Slowly, she turned to look at me, her pink cheeks still evident in the lamplight. Her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

Instead, she just nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Then she went back to eating, sitting just a little bit closer than before.

The warmth between us felt different now. Comfortable.

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