Verdant Skies

There were two parties on Arashi's birthday, the first one involved the boy's friends from both school and outside of it that were within Reim's borders. Inside a nearby park, Iris and her friends had set up colorful banners that fluttered in the breeze alongside a long table adorned with various snacks and sweets that had been specially ordered for today. For three hours, the children all played together with Arashi occasionally shifting into his dragon form from the sheer wealth of happy emotions he was feeling. Dressed in a vibrant outfit specifically picked for the day's events and a colorful crown he'd made with Iris's help, Arashi happily raced around with his many the party came to an end and Arashi said his goodbyes, it took little time to clean up the mess that had been made before they returned to Luna's home for the second party. This party was for family only and involved specially made food from their old world, a charmed cake in the shape of a dragon flew about the house until it was time for Arashi to blow out the six candles on its back. After the cake had been cut, it was time for Arashi to open his presents.

While he'd been given a few gifts from his friends, Iris could tell he was looking forward to this portion of the day if only due to the letters from Kouen and Koumei. Each gift was presented to him, Ginny gave him a basket of art supplies as he'd shown an interest in the subject as of late. Neville gifted him a box of prank potions that had likely been brewed by Ginny. Stepping forward with a light smile, Luna set a wicker basket down in front of Arashi earning a curious look from the boy while Iris gave the blonde a searching look.

Speaking in a light tone, Luna told Arashi, "Normally, we would wait until you were older and had a chance to look for yourself. But...I just saw this little one and couldn't help myself."

Her eyes widened at the wording and she looked at Luna sharply for a moment before focusing on the basket, it would seem the blonde had seen Arashi's familiar. When Arashi glanced at her, Iris let out a sigh and nodded with a slight smile. Reaching out, he undid the bow holding the basket closed, and opened it before peering inside. Only to yelp as a slim crimson-toned muzzle popped out, the black nose twitched as it sniffed the air. Covering her mouth with a soft giggle, she reached out and plucked the lid off the basket revealing a red fox kit with pale purple eyes sitting on a blue pillow within the basket.

Luna let out a giggle as Arashi blinked at the kit who tilted its head at him. Fluffy tail flicking lazily, the kit yawned and jumped from within the basket to settle on the table before Arashi. Slowly extending his hand, Arashi let the kit sniff his fingers as he murmured, "A fox?"

"A red fox," Luna corrected with a light smile, "Though much like Sirius, she has something quite special about her. I couldn't quite pin it down which means you'll have to,"

"That's fine," Arashi smiled as the fox licked his fingers and began to nose into his hand, "Mama?"

"While I would have preferred waiting, I really can't argue with Luna when it comes to familiars," Iris patted Sirius's head as he let out a low grunt beside her, "You'll have to get her trained up to not make messes in the house, destroy things, and behave, Hatchling. Alright?"

"Yes, Mama," Arashi tempted the fox kit into his lap and began to stroke her back, "Does she have a name?"

"That's up to you," Iris, Neville, Ginny, and Luna all chorused.

For a long moment, Arashi eyed the fox kit he was slowly lulling to sleep in his lap. He finally announced, "She'll be called Scarlet."

"A lovely name," Luna praised Arashi with a warm look.

"It suits that vibrant fur of hers," Ginny decided as the newly named Scarlet's chest puffed up.

Letting out a soft laugh, Iris ruffled Arashi's hair, "Scarlet it is then since you both seem happy with it," She held out her gift to Arashi and he took it with an eager smile, "Don't tell Muu who gave it to you, Hatchling."

Unwrapping the box with a grin after setting it on the table, Arashi opened the wooden box and his eyes widened at the delicate blades gleaming in the light. He reached out to touch one of the dragons carved into the handles, "Mama?"

"You're moving onto live blades, Arashi," Iris dropped to her knees beside his chair and let a serious expression come onto her face, "This is a gift, yes, but it's a promise as well. One that you need to give me as much as I'm giving you," She reached up to touch his cheek, "As much as we have tried to impress upon you since the beginning, I feel the need to ensure it's made clear now. Use these to defend yourself and others only, Arashi. I made these not to harm others, but to protect. Promise me that you'll only use them to protect yourself and others, Arashi."

With wide eyes, as he stared at her, Arashi nodded as a look of determination flickered through his eyes, "I will, Mama. I promise," Iris smiled at him and stood to hug him against her chest, "I'll only ever use them to protect."

"My brave dragonling," Iris murmured as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, "Now," She released him with a light smile, "How about we head outside and I give you my other gift?" Arashi's eyes widened with excitement, "You have been wanting to learn a basic fireworks spell, right?"

"YES!" Arashi shouted making Scarlet jump up.

Letting out a soft laugh as the boy quickly shifted Scarlet about and rushed for the backyard with Sirius at his heels, Iris glanced back at Luna as the blonde commented, "I honestly thought you'd wait a bit longer on those..." Luna's expression turned a bit sad and her eyes began a distant, "Things are calm for the moment though it'll change soon..."

"Yeah...yeah," Iris had the same feeling in her gut as back then after Luna had told her that damn prophecy.

Ever since she'd helped Lady Scheherazade with that clone and sent the boy now named Titius off, Iris had this uneasy feeling in her gut that something was going to happen. Shaking herself as Arashi called for them, she looked at Luna with a frown on her lips, "Let's just focus on what's happening now, Luna...we can work on preparing for the worst later."

Joining her son outside, Iris began to process of teaching him the basic spell and her friends soon joined them. Soon enough, she was taking a very sleepy Arashi home with an expanded bag of his presents settled in Sirius's saddlebags. Getting Arashi and Scarlet settled in bed once they'd gotten home, she was about to leave his room when he called out, "Mama?"

"Yes, Hatchling?" Iris looked at her son with a soft smile.

"D-did Daddies get me anything like they said they were going to?" Arashi asked with a half-reluctant pleading look in his eyes.

Smiling at him, Iris nodded, "They did. I'll go grab them from my room, Hatchling. You stay in bed, alright?" Arashi nodded and she quickly went to her room to grab the wrapped packages that had arrived just that morning before returning to Arashi's room, "Here we are."

Walking over to his bed, Iris took a careful seat on the bed's edge and held out the packages to him. Arashi began unwrapping the gifts with a bright smile that grew wider as the gifts were unveiled. Inside the first package which she knew to be from Kouen was a small weapon box, it held an intricately crafted dagger with a blade designed to look like dragon's scales. Arashi gasped as he touched the weapon with wide eyes, "It's amazing."

"Kouen always did have an interesting taste in weapons," Iris admitted with a laugh, "But I know he made sure it was useable," Arashi looked at the blade with an eagerness that almost scared her and amused her to no end, "Much like the ones I made you, you need to promise me that you'll only defend yourself with this one, Arashi,"

"Of course, Mama," Arashi's head tilted as he looked at her, "I don't see why you keep asking me that,"

"Because one day you won't be Mama's innocent little boy and I want to make sure that day is as far off as possible, Hatchling," Iris hugged him softly, "Now let's see what Koumei sent you,"

Eyeing her for a long moment, Arashi nodded and pushed away the wrapping of the other package. This one contained a medium-sized chest, Arashi pushed it open to reveal multiple scrolls. Grabbing one of them, Arashi opened it revealing an old story about a dragon that Iris remembered seeing on Kouen's bookshelf back in Kou. Head tilting in confusion, Arashi looked at her, "There's a dragon on this but I can't read the writing, it's like soup."

Giggling softly, Iris told him, "It's an old dragon story. Koumei must've gotten permission from Kouen to give you some of the dragon stories that were littered about the palace since it's one of your core interests," Arashi's eyes widened and he grinned, "I'll show you how to read it later."

"Thank you, Mama-" Arashi paused as he noticed a small package sitting beside her, "What's that?"

Smiling at her son, Iris picked up the package and held it out to Arashi, "Remember all those letters I've been sending to your daddies? Well, we ended up agreeing on a shared present in addition to our separate ones," Arashi's eyes widened, "After all, you're our son and we love you, Hatchling."

"Mama..." Arashi slowly took the package from her.

"Open it," Iris encouraged him while admitting, "I would have preferred it if we could have discussed everything in person, but I think it turned out wonderfully,"

Tugging away the thin parchment covering the slim wooden box, Arashi glanced at Iris for a moment before opening the box. On a crushed velvet liner, a red-toned silver pendant sat on a golden chain. Curled together around a baby dragon lay two large dragons, one was a river dragon while the other was a Hungarian horntail. Dotted throughout the pendant were stars, the constellation of Dantalion could be made out just above the dragons' heads. Feathers lined the pendant with a few small gem fragments breaking them up, a pair of rubies, an emerald, and dark rose quartz. Taking the pendant in her hand, she gently settled it around Arashi's neck as he murmured, "Mama..."

"The baby dragon is you, the river dragon is Kouen, the other dragon is me, and the stars/feathers are Koumei," Iris smiled at Arashi as she cupped his cheek, "All of us together even if we can't be physical, Hatchling,"

Burrowing his face into her neck as he let out a low sob, Arashi murmured, "Thank you, Mama. Thank you..."

As the sun was on the verge of setting, Iris and Arashi were heading home from school. She laughed alongside Arashi as Scarlet raced along Sirius's back and Arashi like they were just pieces of climbing equipment for her to play on. As they were passing by the Colosseum, she caught sight of Muu speaking with someone who seemed very familiar. It was only as they drew closer that she realized it was Alibaba who looked far healthier than the last time she'd seen him. Granted, she had half-expected it despite the doubts she'd had about the Dungeon Sinbad had sent the blonde, Aladdin, Morgiana, and Hakuryuu into. As she didn't see Aladdin or any of the others around, she suspected that Alibaba had come to Reim alone though that begged to question why.

As she pondered over that, Arashi called out to Muu with an excited smile, "Muu!"

Turning at the sound of Arashi's voice, Muu smiled warmly as they approached, "Arashi, Iris," He let out a chuckle as Arashi quickly dismounted and rushed over to greet him, "Heading home for the day?"

"That we are," Iris smiled at Muu as he ruffled Arashi's hair, "I'd ask if you were doing the same though it seems you're in the middle of speaking with someone,"

"That I am," Muu nodded before turning towards a wide-eyed Alibaba, "Iris, this is-"

"Alibaba!" Arashi greeted Alibaba as he cut off Muu, "You're okay!"

Eyes widened before softening as Arashi rushed over to him, Alibaba crouched down to catch Arashi, "Hey there, Arashi. Sorry if I worried you, I'm doing a lot better now thanks to Aladdin and the others," He glanced up at Iris, "I do have to thank you, Iris. What you did before we left, it kept a bad situation from turning deadly."

Her eyes widened at those words before narrowing, Iris pursed her lips. If Arashi wasn't around, she would have demanded answers, but for the moment, she would allow Alibaba to be vague. Offering the teen a light smile, she told him, "I'm glad I could help, Alibaba. Though you should be thanking Arashi, you're his friend after all which motivates me to ensure you're alright."

"Right," Alibaba stood with a smile, "Thank you, Arashi,"

Giggling as he smiled up at Alibaba, Arashi shook his head, "It was all Mama though if you really want to thank me, you can play with me later, alright, Alibaba?"

"Sounds like a plan," Alibaba chuckled softly.

"So you all know each other?" Muu asked with a curious smile.

"We met in Sindria," Iris replied while noticing that Alibaba had stiffened a bit, "Which reminds me, where are Aladdin and Morgiana? I know that Hakuryuu and Kougyoku left Sindria a while ago though nothing was said about you three,"

Rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh, Alibaba admitted, "We decided to leave Sindria and go our separate ways for now. I came here to be trained as a Gladiator," Iris raised an eyebrow at that, "I need to broaden my knowledge of swordsmanship,"

"That makes sense, it's always good to learn more about the weapons you use," Iris crossed her arms, "And the other two?"

"Aladdin went to learn under other magicians," Alibaba didn't seem to notice how Iris and Muu stiffened at his words, "He went to Magnostadt. As for Mor, she decided to look for her people,"

"Why not come here?" Arashi gave Alibaba a look of confusion, "There are a lot of Fanalis in Reim,"

"She wanted a look at the Fanalis's homeland, didn't she?" Iris asked as Muu let out a low sigh and shook his head with a disappointed look on his face, "While it makes sense in theory, she's not going to find a single Fanalis there,"

"How come, Mama?" Arashi asked her with a small frown.

"Because a lot of bad people decided Muu's people weren't useful when free, Hatchling," Iris knelt to meet his eyes, "So they spent a lot of time and money catching them, it's only now that many of them are becoming free again,"

His nose wrinkled, Arashi shook his head, "That-I don't understand, Mama. They're not like the Colosseum beasts or even livestock. So...why?"

Her heart rose at the fact she had taught him so well, Iris looked at Muu alongside Arashi as he spoke, "Because they deemed my people to be worth less than a human despite what we could do. It was greed, Arashi."

Shaking his head with a look of disbelief, Arashi crossed his arms, "They were stupid then. Fanalis are cool people and don't deserve that kind of stuff," Iris smiled at Arashi, "Is Mor going to be alright?"

"It's Mor..." Alibaba rubbed the back of his neck with a slight look of doubt, "She'll be just fine,"

Eyeing Alibaba for a moment, Arashi snorted softly, "You don't look confident," Iris snickered as Alibaba gapped at her son, "But Mor's stronger than you and braver," She giggled loudly, "So I doubt anyone can really hurt her," He looked at her, "Mama, can we go home and make food now?"

"Yes, Hatchling," Iris took a breath and helped him back onto Sirius's back, "Muu, I'll catch you later. I guess I'll see you later too, Alibaba,"

Chuckling as he waved her off, Muu smiled while Alibaba just kept staring at Arashi in disbelief. Arashi spoke once they were out of earshot of Muu, "She'll be alright though, right, Mama?"

Looking at Arashi with a light smile, Iris nodded, "Considering what I've heard since meeting those three troublemakers, I'm sure she'll be just fine, Arashi. If anything, she might find something out there on the Dark Continent that brings her new strength."

"Cool," Arashi smiled contentedly as he relaxed against Sirius's back.

"Iris!" Came the booming voice of the forge master from the front of the shop, "Some fuckers here to see ya, Girlie,"

"Who the fuck is it, Grey?" Iris shouted over her shoulder without taking her eyes off the blade currently being formed by her bare hands.

"Some blonde stick of a fucker," Grey boomed back, "Got bright gold eyes,"

Running that through her mind, Iris shouted back at the man, "Let 'im through, I'm almost at a stopping point."

The clanging of metal on metal echoed through the forge as Iris continued to work on the blade. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and the intense heat of the forge surrounded her, but she was in her element. The rhythmic sound of the hammer against the hot metal seemed to synchronize with her heartbeat. As she finally dropped the blade into a cooling bath and grabbed a cloth to wipe away the grime that had collected on her hands, she headed towards the fenced-in yard. Alibaba was sitting on the lone bench with Sirius lying in front of him. Leaning against the forge's door, she cleared her throat and the teen jolted into a standing position.

Raising an eyebrow at him, Iris noted that Alibaba was coated in a rather dense layer of dirt and had gotten scratched up since their meeting by the Colosseum a few days ago. The boy rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, he ducked his head, "I...I'm sorry if dropping by your work is a bit-"

"It's fine. I was due a break anyway," Iris waved him off, "So what brings you by?"

"I-Well, I wanted to thank you," Alibaba told her earnestly and Iris gave him a look of confusion, "I mean from what I can tell you didn't tell anyone here about me having a Djinn and that was a big worry of mine since Sinbad-"

Raising a hand to cut him off, Iris spoke as she set the rag she'd been using to clean her hand on her shoulder, "I'm going to be blunt with you, Alibaba. And I'm also going to give you some advice once I finish talking, I'd suggest you take it, but you're not my kid and I've got enough on my plate as is. I don't need to be looking out for another person. Got it?"

"I...yeah," Alibaba looked a bit shocked at her words.

Rubbing a hand through her hair, Iris told Alibaba, "You being a Dungeon Capturer is your business. I frankly don't give two shits about whether someone has that kind of power or not since I can quite easily roast their ass in my dragon form before they can even think about transforming," Alibaba paled at her words, "I don't give a rats ass about that pretty little power unless it directly affects those I care for. Sinbad? He can shove those djinns of his up his tanned ass," She barred her teeth making Alibaba flinch, "That man has far too much power and it shows if you know where to look, I wouldn't trust a fucking word he says, but I digress," She crossed her arms and looked at Alibaba, "Don't thank me for not saying shit, Alibaba. That power of yours is little more than a trinket unless you know how to use it, I highly doubt you've even scratched the surface of it, so I don't deem it worth even acknowledging."

His fingers clenched into fists at her words, Alibaba bowed his head, "I-You really believe that?"

"Compared to those that I've seen with Djinn, you're but a child trying to play with an adult weapon," Iris knew this was a bit harsh, "Half the reason that curse managed to bite in so deeply was due to how badly you'd been using your Djinn and that's coming from someone who cannot use one," Alibaba flinched at her words, "But even I can admit when someone has potential, you just have to work on it. Do so and you might prove a threat worth dragon fire," Alibaba turned pale though he smiled at her, "My suggestion is to speak with Muu and be truthful about your Djinn. He is a Metal Vessel user and has been for many years from what I've been told. As you're merely a traveler, he might be willing to share some tips on how to use your Djinn,"

As Alibaba nodded, Iris realized that he appreciated the fact she wasn't sugarcoating things. While her directness might be a bit harsh, it seemed to sink certain facts into his head. Speaking as his lips pulled into a grimace, Alibaba admitted, "I've...tried in the past to understand my Djinn. It hasn't exactly worked out very well."

"Which is quite evident," Iris didn't exactly understand how she was the one people always seemed to come to for advice, "Communication is key though I'm unsure if you've been told this before," Alibaba gave her a look of confusion, "All the metal vessel users I've spoken to can communicate with their Djinn, Alibaba. Much like my inner beast, it's a mental thing,"

"Mental? Like talk in my mind?" Alibaba asked earning a nod, "How?"

"Speak using your mind for one," Iris snorted at Alibaba as he made a face at her, "For two, you could meditate on it. That would help you get used to feeling your magoi, I believe certain Gladiators use magoi manipulation to assist them in fights,"

"I-yeah, the people training me mentioned that," Alibaba rubbed the back of his neck, "But meditation? Isn't that difficult?"

"Only in the beginning when you're not used to it and haven't figured out the best way to do it," Iris moved over to Sirius and began petting him earning a soft yawn, "But meditation might be the best way to kick start your communication with whatever Djinn you've got,"

Nodding slowly, Alibaba frowned as he asked, "Could you-"

"Nope," Iris snickered as his face fell, "The only one I train is Arashi, Alibaba. I've already given you advice, so take it and run with it, alright?"

Letting out a sigh as he nodded, Alibaba muttered, "Alright...I get it," He shook his head, "I know better than to push things especially when it comes to someone who can easily reduce me to a cinder," She smirked at him, "Thank you, Iris...I didn't realize how much I needed someone to be honest with me."

"No problem," Iris waved him off, "Now how about you get going? I've got to get back to work before Grey tries to keep me here after Arashi gets off of school,"

Not that she'd let him, Grey had tried that all at once and Iris had shown the old man just how well that worked out. Alibaba nodded with a sheepish smile and quickly left the fenced-in yard. Speaking to Sirius as the wolf grunted softly, she muttered, "That kid is going to be in for a world of trouble, I feel it. Muu's going to be a bit pissy once he figures out I didn't tell them about the kid's Djinn. I'd be worried, but he knows my stance on those pretty little ornaments," Sirius huffed at her and she snorted, "Guess I should probably see about putting in an order at his favorite bakery, it should smooth things over a bit."

Ducking underneath a sword strike from Muu, Iris got around him and quickly put some distance between them. She started to circle the half-Fanalis and commented, "You're irritated."

Grunting at her as he swung around to face her, Muu brandished his sword, "You can tell?"

Chuckling as her lips pulled into a half-smile, the sound echoed through the empty training ground. Iris adjusted her hold on the twin short swords she was using, "Your attacks are more aggressive, you're leaving yourself with actual openings, and that only happens when you are pissed off."

With a feral grin stretching across his lips, Muu lunged towards her to catch her off guard. As she darted to the side, he snapped, "Maybe I just want to see if you've gotten rusty."

Countering with a quick jab of her own, Iris raised an eyebrow at him, "Rusty, Muu? Please, we both know that I could take three of you at once and still come out on top without bringing out my dragon form."

Parriaying her strike as he stepped back, Muu's lips quirked into a wry smile, "Confident today, aren't we?"

"Considering the fact you're making mistakes, I'm warranted my confidence," Iris twirled her swords with a playful glint in her eyes.

As Muu lunged forward into a rapid series of strikes, Iris parried and dodged each one. The symphony of steel echoed in an offbeat caterwaul. Head tilting as her muscles strained, she noted with some amusement, "You aren't holding back."

Grunting as he locked their blades for a brief moment, Muu grinned savagely at her, "Have you ever wanted me to?"

"Point," Iris laughed as their spar continued.

Every movement Iris made was precise and controlled, Muu's became more wild and relentless as their spar continued. Finally, as she sidestepped one of Muu's attacks which managed to leave him off-balanced, she tripped him up and pinned the half-Fanalis underneath a boot. Her blade pressed into his neck with the other settled at his stomach, Muu stared at her with wide eyes for a long moment before chuckling, "It seems I need to yield."

"That you do," Iris inclined her head.

Sheathing her weapons, Iris held a hand out to Muu and helped him up. She gave him a pointed look as he sheathed his blade earning a low sigh from the man. Gesturing toward the benches that lay outside the training ground, Muu started to walk with her following him. He spoke with a frustrated look on his face, "That damn kid is a Dungeon Capturer and no one knew until now. It's frustrating, Iris."

Taking a seat beside Muu when they reached the benches, Iris admitted, "I can see how it would be," Muu gave her a withering look, "But you know how I see those pretty little trinkets, Muu."

Snorting as he shook his head, Muu leaned back with a deep sigh, "I know which is why I'm not as mad as I normally would be at you for keeping this information from us. Lady Scheherazade is irritated at you."

"I'm aware," Iris had been stuck with grunt work as of yesterday though the magi hadn't done much more than that.

Both Iris and Lady Scheherazade knew that there couldn't be more done to show the blonde's irritation, the dragon witch could leave Reim if she felt any 'punishments' were being unfairly dealt. The magi had long since been made aware of her stance on Dungeon Capturers and the little trinkets that made them different from regular humans. That fact had been made known the minute Prince Nerva had attempted to flirt with her and hit Arashi, the prince was very lucky to still have his hand. Shaking herself from those thoughts, she looked at Muu as he muttered, "He asked me for help...What kind of Dungeon Capturer does that?"

"One that's never been taught to use their Djinn?" Iris was gifted an incredulous look by Muu, "From what I managed to learn, Alibaba wasn't taught how to use his Djinn. Sinbad didn't both which only worsened his image in my mind. The kid's magi barely understands a few spells from this world's magic," She shrugged her shoulder, "So is it really that surprising?"

Rubbing at his face, Muu muttered, "I need a fucking drink," He gave her a look, "I...The only reason I'm even considering helping Alibaba is because it's an affront that he knows nothing about Djinn despite being a damn Dungeon Capturer. And it'd be a waste of his potential if I did nothing."

"I'd expect nothing less," Iris smiled at Muu, "You want to strangle me, don't you?"

"I'm very tempted," Muu admitted as he dropped his hand, "You're buying me a drink,"

"I'll do you one better and get us dinner tonight," Iris grinned at him, "Luna and the others can watch Arashi,"

"Wonderful," Muu stood up and stretched, "Meet you in an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan," Iris agreed as she stood as well.

Pressing a hand to her face, Iris muttered a soft curse under her breath and began to stumble her way downstairs towards the rampant knocks. Pulling her door open, she shouted, "What the fuck are-Razol?"

Blinking at the scarred female Fanalis, Iris rubbed at her eyes and tried to blink back the still hazy edges where sleep clung to her. Razol gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry, Iris. I've got orders from up top."

"Orders?" Iris muttered softly as her mind cleared enough to realize that it was still pitch black, "At fuckall at night?"

"Lady Scheherazade is demanding that everyone come in," Razol grimaced as Iris stiffened her back at those words, "I don't have all the information, but Captain looked serious,"

Biting her bottom lip, Iris looked into the shadows of her home before sighing, "Alright. Give me a minute to ensure Arashi is still asleep, I don't need him up at this hour."

Thankfully for Razol, Arashi could sleep through practically anything. She had Sirius stay with Arashi and Scarlet even though her familiar wished to be by her side. Heading to the palace with Razol, they went into the audience chamber where Lady Scheherazade was already waiting with a host of others. Moving through the crowds, she found Luna and the others standing by the back wall. For a moment, it felt as if they were back in the Goulon Empire, but the moment faded as she noticed that her friends were also in night clothes with robes tossed over their shoulders.

"Ris," Ginny looked at Iris as she approached them, "Any idea what this could be about?"

"To a point," Iris admitted as she accepted the hug Neville offered and began to lean against him, "But given what it could be, I'm hoping that I am wrong,"

Opening her mouth to ask what it could be, Luna spoke with an expression of dread written across her features, "You think it could be war."

"Not think, Lulu," Iris shook her head, "Know that's what this might be, I mean everyone here is a soldier save for us," Ginny and Neville gained looks of realization while Luna simply sighed, "The only question is what war,"

Her answer came quite soon after the doors closed, Lady Scheherazade called everyone to order and informed them that something had been taken from her by Magnostadt. As she listened to the magi rally Reim's soldiers to go to war, Iris's stomach filled with dread and a sense of foreboding. Her fingers curled around the edges of her robe, she could feel that something was going to go wrong. Shaking herself free of those thoughts as the magi approached them once the room had been emptied of all save for Muu, she met Lady Scheherazade's eyes.

With a look of sadness in those clear blue eyes, Lady Scheherazade said, "I'm aware that you have no true reason to fight for us despite Reim being your home for nearly seven years," She nodded to Luna and the others before looking at Iris again, "And for just about four now. But I have to ask you for help...to assist us in this even if you won't fight."

"You want us to make potions and heal people," Iris confirmed in a soft voice, "You want me to make barriers for the men..."

"Yes, Iris," Lady Scheherazade nodded solemnly, "I'm well aware that none of you wish to fight under another's banner again. But we need all the support we can get with this fight, I am willing to take your assistance if it means having an onsite healer, extra potions, and actual barriers as the magicians will be a brutal fight for us. You all would make a significant difference in this battle,"

Glancing between her friends, Iris could tell they wanted to lend their support. Luna's eyes in particular held her attention. There was a knowing and desperate gleam in those cornflower blue eyes, Luna gave her a pleading look. She mentally sighed before looking back at Lady Scheherazade, "If someone keeps an eye on Arashi and ensures he isn't wrapped up in any messes...I think we can help out," Lady Scheherazade smiled in relief, "But we aren't compromising on our principles, Lady Scheherazade. Fighting under anyone's banner isn't in our plan, is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Lady Scheherazade extended a hand and Iris took it, "You all have my thanks, Iris,"

"Don't thank me until after the battle has been won," Iris replied with a shake of her head, "Now I assume we're leaving fairly soon?"

"Tomorrow at dawn," Lady Scheherazade confirmed and Iris sighed at those words.

"We'll get things set up then," Iris released Lady Scheherazade's hand, "For the moment, I am going home to my son and passing back the fuck out as it's far too early for this shit,"

Covering her mouth with a shocked giggle, Lady Scheherazade nodded while Iris turned and began leaving the room. Luna caught up to her quickly and muttered a single sentence that shook her to the core, "Darkness is gathering within the nation of magicians, the path of hate will claim them if nothing is done."

Opening and closing her mouth, Iris found herself unable to speak for a long moment as those words rang out into the empty air. She finally managed to find her voice, "Lulu?"

"I...Whatever happens, Ris, we will be together in this," Luna's fingers curled around her wrist and Iris took a deep breath, "I...Part of me wants to fight this time, I've grown to love this country, but something is telling me our strength will be needed for something else,"

Her lips pulled into a slight scowl, Iris's unease doubled at the fact Luna had voiced her hidden thoughts. She spoke softly, "Me too, Lulu. We just have to move forward and see just what's going on when we finally reach that part."

"Yeah," Luna squeezed her fingers.

Part of Iris loathed that they were going back onto a battlefield, she hated knowing that lives were going to be sacrificed. But she loved the idea as well, the beast within her reveled in the thought of freshly spilled blood and corpses being tossed about like party favors. But overall, she found herself curious over finally figuring out just where this unease was coming from.