Verdant Skies

There was an undercurrent of grief within Reim, the worst was within Remano where a massive funeral was held for Lady Scheherazade. No one acknowledged the fact that Titus had been given true life in the wake of the old magi's sacrifice and was now the new magi of Reim. Instead, they all seemed to simmer within their grief and the knowledge that they'd joined the Seven Seas Alliance.

While she had wanted to linger on her grief, Iris couldn't as there was much to do in very little time if she wanted to head to Balbadd sooner rather than later. There had been a loud protest from the blacksmith's shop when she'd put in her resignation, Grey had subsided after trying to argue with her for two hours. Pulling Arashi from school was far more simple and only took a few forms, the establishment was used to such a thing happening. When she went to the palace and began turning in her resignation, the team she'd spent so much time working with had tried to argue with her for four hours before finally giving in.

Only when she'd gone up to Lady Scheherazade's former office to drop off her last resignation did she find Titus, the boy was sitting in the office and staring blankly out of the balcony door when she walked in. He jumped as his head darted towards her with a look of shock. Clearing his throat as a delicate flush coated his cheeks, he murmured, "Miss Iris, I wasn't aware you'd be in today."

"By technicality, I wouldn't be," Iris admitted as she walked over to the desk and set down the scroll in her hand, "But I'm dropping this off," She eyed the boy as he frowned, "You're having a bit of trouble getting used to all this, aren't you?"

Sighing as he looked away from her, Titus gripped the edge of the desk, "It's...difficult. I wasn't made for this, Miss Iris. All my mother-Lady Scheherazade created me for was for the situation in Magnostadt. But now that it's over and she's gone, it feels..."

As he waved a hand about himself, Iris bit her bottom lip. While she kept telling herself that any other child besides Arashi wasn't her problem, it seemed that she kept allowing herself to be their sounding board. Letting out a sigh, she said, "Like you're drowning?" Titus nodded slowly, "Thing is, Kiddo, it's a fact of like that you'll feel like you're drowning. I do a lot of the time and it's all thanks to my little brat."

"Arashi?" Titus looked stunned when she nodded, "But you-he-how do you deal with it?"

"Take a deep breath and remember that things can always get worse," Iris slowly took a seat across from Titus, "I have friends to count on. It can be a bit hard to reach out sometimes, especially when the situation doesn't seem like something they'd be too keen on dealing with, but you'd be surprised about what you're friends are willing to deal with,"

"I...I think I'd feel pretty guilty though," Titus admitted in a soft tone.

Snorting as she smiled at Titus, Iris informed him, "And you think I don't? Titus, I felt like complete shit the first time I left Arashi under the watchful eyes of Luna just to get a few minutes to myself after arriving here. Help...help can make you feel a bit guilty at times, but it's okay if you need it, Kiddo. And from what I've been able to hear, you of all people do need it."

Biting his bottom lip, Titus nodded while wrapping his arms around himself, "I...I guess."

"And look, I know I'm the last person you need to hear it from, but you're okay, Kid," Iris saw his brows furrowed, "Lady Scheherazade was your mother, so call her that. Out of everyone here, you have the most right to it,"

"I...thank you, Miss Iris," Titus slowly smiled at her.

"No problem, Titus," Iris stood up, "Lady Scheherazade was a pretty good ally and a nice friend of mine in the end. I doubt anyone has actually said it to you, so I'll do it," She smiled sadly at Titus, "I'm sorry for your loss, Kiddo. Even if you never really got the chance to spend actual time with her, I could tell she cared in her own way,"

"I know..." Titus seemed to hesitate before he finally told her, "Miss Iris?" She hummed with a raised eyebrow, "You all have never found a way to your home world, did you?"

"No," Iris eyed Titus, "Why?"

"I...My mother left memories within me," Titus stumbled over his words, "I don't believe your friends and you are the only travelers to have ever come to this world. But I also don't know what happened to the others,"

Her lips pursed as she considered that information, it honestly didn't surprise Iris in the least that others had ended up in this world. Not knowing what could have happened to those other travelers was admittedly disturbing, she shook it off while admitting, "No use worrying about it, Titus. We've been searching for a way home in our own ways though I've admittedly become comfortable enough that I haven't been assisting my friends."

Why bother when she'd found two men who held her heart and was blessed with a son from them? Titus frowned slightly, "I...I suppose you're right."

"But if you figure anything out, I'd suggest speaking with Luna," Iris saw his brows furrow and gestured to the scroll on his desk, "Arashi and I are leaving Reim. It's nothing against you, Kiddo. Lady Scheherazade allied with someone I do not agree with and I'll be damned before allowing myself or my son to fall into his hands,"

"King Sinbad?" Titus murmured.

"The very asshole," Iris nodded with a wry smile, "I'd stick around and try to help you out more, Kiddo. You seem like you could use it, but...I need to look after myself and Arashi,"

His lips twisted into a grimace, Titus slowly nodded, "I...I think I understand, Miss Iris. While I wish you'd stay, I won't protest."

With one final nod to Titus, Iris left Lady Scheherazade's former office and began making her way home to begin the next phase of preparations.

"Muu," Iris let herself rest against the railing, "I'd ask how you're holding up, but..."

Part of her had been shocked to realize that Muu was in love with Lady Scheherazade back when they'd first become friends, Iris had accepted that part of her best friend as he had with Arashi's parentage. Odd as it was, she'd thought it was 'tragically' romantic at the time. Now though, she knew those thoughts were just ironic.

His head was craned back as he stared up at the stars above, Muu's voice was hoarse, "Today was a bit easier...not by much, but easier."

"That's...it's something," Iris didn't reach out to touch Muu as he'd flinched away from her the last few times she'd tried, "I heard from Myr that you haven't gone into the palace since we returned,"

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Muu let out a broken laugh as he shook his head, "I can't, Iris. Not when that-" He cut himself off and ran a hand through his messy hair, "She's not there while that-he got to live while she died..."

"I know," Iris's chest hurt and she almost reached out to Muu, "It's not fair, but when is life ever fair?" Muu snorted as tears began rolling down his cheeks, "I can't even blame you since the kid looks so much like her,"

Letting out another broken laugh, Muu sank onto the soft ground beside her, "I'm surprised you aren't trying to scold me."

"Oh, Myr tried to coax me into doing it," Iris admitted with a snort while joining him on the ground and letting her shoulder bump his, "But I'm not going to. I know how you feel even if En and Mei aren't dead. My heart treated it like they were thanks to my inner dragon,"

"How did you deal with this?" Muu's voice was far softer than she'd ever recalled hearing it.

Head lying back against the wooden board of the fence, Iris admitted, "I didn't...not in a healthy way," She saw him glance at her, "I found something to focus on and pushed my pain down. It wasn't good for me, but I was able to function..." She pressed a hand to her heart, "But...living? I didn't really live until we came here and my friends started helping me heal enough that the pain didn't feel so crippling."

"So what? Burying it enough to function until I can deal with it?" Muu's tone was bitter.

Sighing with her eyes fixed on the starry sky, Iris admitted, "Burying it is a temporary solution, Muu. Like putting a bandage on a wound without cleaning it first, it might stop the bleeding for a little while, but eventually, it's going to fester if you don't address the underlying issue."

His fists tightened as he breathed out a bit sharply, Muu muttered, "Where do I even start? Every fucking time I close my eyes, all I see is her sacrifice."

"That's going to happen for a while," Iris admitted as she thought back to her dreams of the day Kouen and Koumei had confronted her, "Grief doesn't just turn off, Muu. It's messy as fuck and heavier than any boulder your men can throw, it doesn't follow a set schedule either," She let out a low sigh, "It...it's going to hurt like hell for a long time. You'll have good days, amazing ones that will make you think you've passed it, then the bad days will come. When they and the worse ones come right after, it's going to feel like you're hollow inside and it can't get worse. Only it does," She felt Muu's eyes on her, "But once those days pass and the good ones come back, you realize while it's not going to truly fade, the grief is just a bit easier to bear,"

"I don't even know where to begin," Muu's voice was barely a whisper.

Turning her head to look at him, Iris saw the tears flowing down from his eyes in thin slivers. Her voice was soft, the words coming a bit easier, "Start with the memories, Muu. The good ones that have always managed to make you smile," She smiled at him, "Try to think back to when she'd smile at you, the way she'd look at you, the laughter you'd share...the moments that truly made you feel alive in her presence," She allowed her own tears to fall, "Let the memories of what drew you to her in the first place sink in, they'll help. Even if it won't be much, they'll make it easier to breathe."

Closing his eyes, Muu sucked in a deep breath while his hand pressed against his chest, "It hurts, Iris. Every memory fucking hurts."

"It's going to," Iris wiped at her tears, "You just lost the love of your life, so let yourself grieve. Let yourself feel that pain, it's okay," She finally reached out to touch the hand still balled into a fist and Muu didn't flinch away, "Those memories will be a bittersweet reminder in the end when the pain doesn't feel so sharp," Muu took another shaky breath, "When you're ready, you can talk about it...share those memories with those who knew her, the people who love you. Don't keep it bottled up inside, or it'll eat you alive,"

Her eyes closed as a cool breeze swept through the training ground where Muu had secluded himself, Iris let herself relax a bit deeper into the fence. Muu was dealing with a heavy burden and it would take a long time for him to find his way through it. Cracking open an eye, she glanced at Muu as he spoke. His voice wavered, the expression on his face was tired, "I never thought I'd lose her like this. I...she was supposed to have a bit more time. She deserved better."

"No one deserved to die like that," Iris hated that she hadn't been awake when Lady Scheherazade had died, "We can't change that fact though," She smiled sadly as Muu's jaw clenched, "Life is cruel in how it works, we both know that very well by now. All we can do is keep going and try to work against whatever it tries to throw our way next,"

Sucking in a heavy breath, Muu confessed, "I had believed before that fight I'd be the one to protect her in the end. She changed that around on me," Iris saw a bitter smile quirk across his lips, "I'm so angry."

"I know," Iris's tone was gentle, "But that's the thing about plans, they never quite work out the way we wish them to," Muu snorted and shifted to lean back against the fence, "You did your best to protect her in the end. She just decided to do the same for everyone else,"

"It was in her nature," Muu rubbed at his face and Iris released his hand, "Thank you, Iris," She tilted her head at him, "For talking with me, it helped even if I still feel like complete crap. I think I should be able to function now,"

"I'm glad to hear it," Iris smiled at Muu though felt a little guilty.

Silence fell over them as they both looked up at the stars without bothering to move, Iris knew she should tell Muu that she'd settled everything here in Reim. But this didn't feel like the right moment for it, she bit back the urge to sigh and shook herself only to jolt as Muu commented, "Myr didn't just randomly send you out here, did she?"

Biting back a small curse, Iris admitted, "No...I was coming to talk with you."

Rather than look surprised, Muu merely sighed, "You're leaving soon then?"

Nodding as she played with the edges of her tunic, Iris told him, "In two days, Arashi, Scarlet, Sirius, and I will be setting off for the nearest port. I would have checked in on you sooner, but I had to get everything set up-"

"It's fine," Muu waved her off with a tired laugh, "You have a meeting to get to and it's better if you're not here whenever Sinbad decides he wants to investigate the newest place he's allied himself with,"

Her lips pulled into a slight scowl at the mention of Sinbad, Iris had to remind herself that this wasn't about her. She spoke softly, "I still should have checked up on you considering what happened."

Gaze softening as he looked at her, Muu offered her a weary smile, "You did, Iris. Maybe not right away, but you did in the end. And whether I wanted it or not, you help me," He released a heavy sigh as the weight of his grief showed visibly on his features, "I appreciate it."

"I'd always come to help you, Muu. You're my best friend who doesn't judge me every couple of seconds even if I do something you might consider stupid," Iris smiled at him, "And if I could, I'd be here to keep helping you. I know just how deep that pit goes and I'd rather not let you get buried in it,"

Letting out a chuckle, Muu shook his head, "While I appreciate that, you have a life to get to," He smiled slightly at her, "I do have to admit that Kouen and Koumei were a bit different from what I expected."

"Considering how long it took me to admit I loved them...yeah, I can see it," Iris admitted with a faint flush to her cheeks, "But they're my treasures,"

Giving Arashi a bit of time to say his goodbyes, Iris did some last-minute checks to ensure they were leaving anything behind in the home that had lasted them for four years. Her fingers ran along the scratches in the walls, the areas where Arashi, Sirius, and even Scarlet had left their marks upon this place that had been home to them. Her chest tightened as the memories for each mark floated by, the ghost of laughter, shouting, crying, and barking echoing through her mind as she moved through the house. Reaching the bottom floor and walking out the door, she finally closed the heavy green door that she'd painted with a pair of dragons with Arashi two years ago.

As the heavy door closed, Iris took a deep breath knowing that their lives would be different from this moment forward. Heading to the nearby park where Arashi was meeting his friends, she found Sirius keeping a watchful eye on her son alongside Luna, Neville, and Ginny. Luna bumped her shoulder, "We aren't going to ask you to stay. Just...don't get yourself killed."

"Course not," Iris snorted while nudging the blonde in return, "Don't let that purple-haired prick get to you if he comes by,"

"Why would we?" Ginny caught Iris around the waist and hugged her tightly, "Keep an eye on Arashi. I've only got one nephew and I'm not keen on losing him anytime soon,"

Chest puffing up in mock indignation, Iris tapped Ginny on the nose, "I would never let my hatchling get hurt," She hugged Ginny tightly in return, "You guys work on figuring something out for our idiots, alright? I try to do the same, but..."

"Worry about figuring things out with those two princes first," Neville stole her from Ginny and she hugged him tightly, "Don't be on the verge of death next time we meet, Ris. For the love of fuck, I don't want to keep healing your life-threatening injuries,"

Grinning as she shoved at Neville playfully, Iris let out a soft laugh, "No promises, Big brother. You know how my luck is when it comes to trouble."

Shaking his head with a regretful chuckle, Neville released her, "Just don't make it a habit, Little sister."

Sticking her tongue out at Neville, Iris felt Scarlet jump onto her shoulder with a playful yip as Arashi shouted, "Mama," She turned to see him running as his friends began to disperse, "I've said my goodbyes to everyone. Are we heading out now?"

"We are," Iris smiled at the excitement on Arashi's face.

Ginny tugged Arashi into a tight hug, "You be good for your Mama, you got it, Kiddo?"

Returning the hug with a grin, Arashi nodded, "Of course, Aunt Ginny."

Ruffling Arashi's hair with a light smile, Neville reminded Arashi, "Listen to her, Kid. And don't cause too much trouble, you've got a long journey ahead of you, Arashi."

"I know, Uncle Nev," Arashi swatted at Neville's hand with a pout, "I know how to behave on a long journey,"

"But keep our words in mind, alright," Luna hugged Arashi and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Keep an eye out for nargles, Little dragon. You never know where they'll pop up and what will happen if they do,"

Eyes narrowing at the blonde, Iris bit back the urge to comment as Arashi nodded with a grin, "Yes, Aunt Luna."

With a final round of goodbyes, Iris helped Arashi onto Sirius's back and they began to make their way out of the city. It took them four days to reach the nearest port and another two to set off as the ship needed to be readied. As the ship set sail and Reim began to disappear behind them, she felt a small weight fall away from her shoulders though anxiety began to crawl along her skin. Balbadd awaited them and with it, Kouen and Koumei.

As the ship sailed towards Balbadd, Arashi spent much of the trip racing about the deck with Scarlet while Sirius kept a careful eye on the two. To contend with his large amount of energy, Iris had taken to running him through weapons drills and working on his magic. She also took the time to work on his schooling as she'd gotten a huge packet of things he was supposed to be learning during the next year when she pulled him out of school. To break all this up, she took him on small flights in their dragon forms.

As they drew closer to Balbadd, the seas became a bit rougher due to both weather and pirates deciding to take a chance on them. Unfortunately for the pirates, they had chosen a ship that had a fully realized witch on it who was not very happy that her child was being threatened. Needless to say, Iris added the pirates and their ship to the growing number of sunken ships.

Docking in Balbadd, Iris glanced over the city with a mixture of interest and confusion. She'd known that Balbadd had been badly affected by the events that had taken place, but it was clear that Kouen and Koumei were rebuilding the city as if it were part of Kou. Watching as Arashi's head darted around, she wondered just where they were supposed to find Kouen and Koumei. Deciding it would be best to simply bite the bullet and just start wandering through the city, Iris threaded her fingers through Sirius's fur as she clicked her tongue twice. The streets of Balbadd were quite confusing with a mixture of hybridized buildings that were Kou in origin with the original structure being used as a base. Based on what she'd seen in other countries that had been conquered by Kou, it was clear that Koumei had influenced this somehow.

Her head tilted towards Arashi, the boy commenting, "This place kinda looks weird, Mama."

"It does," Iris smiled faintly, "But so do a lot of the places we visit,"

"True," Arashi pursed his lips.

Her lips quirked into a larger smile when Arashi let out a yawn, he had tried to force himself to stay awake last night after the Captain had announced they were finally closing in on Balbadd. And with how smoothly Sirius walked, it wouldn't be long before Arashi fell asleep on her familiar's back. Scarlet was already fast asleep in one of Sirius's saddlebags. But she wasn't going to comment on it, Arashi would try to be stubborn and attempt to stay awake which would only make him cranky in the long run.

As her eyes went back to the area in front of them, Iris caught sight of a familiar figure moving through the crowds. Smile forming at the sight, she urged Sirius to move faster while calling out, "Seishuu!"

His head darted around at the sound of her voice as Arashi jolted from the shout, Seishuu grinned brightly as he paused mid-step before turning and starting to walk towards her, "Iris! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Kouen and Koumei," Iris smiled at Seishuu as Arashi made a noise of surprise beside her, "And to stay awhile if they're willing to put up with me,"

"Of course," Seishuu shook his head, "I know you talked about coming to Balbadd sooner than expected, but I doubt anyone expected you to arrive this soon,"

Smiling brightly at the Gorgon-like man, Iris reminded him, "When have things ever gone 'as expected' around me?"

"True enough," Seishuu chuckled softly, "Well, I should bring you to the palace. My King and Prince Koumei are currently busy, but I'm sure they'll make room in their schedules for you,"

Letting out a small laugh, Iris shook her head, "I think a meeting can wait for a little bit. We did just get off of our ship and this one," She gestured to Arashi and Seishuu's eyes widened, "Is about to fall asleep. I'm admittedly not too far off since bandits decided it'd be a wonderful idea to harass us until we got within a few miles of Balbadd's port."

"I-He looks..." Seishuu shook himself and his smile turned gentle, "Let's get you both settled then,"

Taking the lead, Seishuu led Iris and her small group through the winding streets of Balbadd. Iris couldn't help but marvel at the in more intricate blend of Kou and Balbadd architecture the closer they got to the palace. As she'd suspected, the city was in a state of metamorphosis brought on by the influence of Koumei and likely led by Kouen. Reaching the palace, Seishuu had her wait for barely a few minutes before he led her to a large bedroom on the ground floor of the palace.

Walking inside, Iris helped a barely awake Arashi down from Sirius, "Thank you, Seishuu."

"It's no problem, Iris," Seishuu smiled lightly at Iris, "You would have likely been waiting a while to see My King and Prince Koumei had you decided not to rest. My King was dragged outside of the city to deal with some sort of dispute that started not too long ago and Prince Koumei is in a rather serious meeting at the same time,"

"It's not the first time I've had to wait for them," Iris shook her head while helping Arashi to lay down properly rather than faceplant on the bed as he seemed inclined to do, "At least this way, Arashi and I can get some proper rest,"

"I'll have some servants come by with refreshments though otherwise you'll be left alone," Seishuu inclined his head to her, "For now, I'll be going,"

Waving him off, Iris took off her boots after freeing Arashi of his. Pulling Scarlet from Sirius's saddlebags, she set the fox down beside Arashi before carefully beginning to undo the heavy leather bags from Sirius's back. As soon as he was free, Sirius shook himself before climbing onto the bed and curling up. Following his example after setting the saddlebags down, she finally gave in to the exhaustion that had been clinging to her bones since the third bandit ship.

Despite wanting to let his shoulders slump, Kouen kept his face carefully blank as he dismounted from his horse. Three of the pushiest nobles from Balbadd's outermost sectors had been dispatched by his hand not even half an hour prior, the idiots had believed they could fund the lingering resistance within the country without being noticed. Unfortunately, that meant they now needed to find three new people to take those newly vacated positions, he was not looking forward to it even if Koumei would be the one doing most of the work.

Handing off the reigns, Kouen began making his way into the palace as the guards stationed at the doors snapped to attention. Raising an eyebrow as Seishuu fell into step with him, he commented, "I thought you were patrolling the city with Kin today."

"I was, but something came up," Seishuu let out a nervous chuckle, "So Shou took over,"

Giving Seishuu a look as they began to ascend the stairs and make their way toward Koumei's office, Kouen asked him, "And what came up that was important enough for you to forget about your duties?"

"Technically it was part of my duties, you just named it one of my auxiliary ones," Seishuu defended himself as Kouen's brows furrowed at the statement and he began to run through all of the Gorgon-like man's auxiliary duties, "Iris arrived a few hours ago,"

Pausing mid-step as his eyes widened, Kouen's breath caught at those words. His thoughts began to race, he hadn't expected Iris to arrive so soon despite her words on the battlefield that day. But perhaps he should have, he had seen the look on her face and the way she'd spoken after all. His chest stirred with anticipation and longing, he couldn't wait to see her again and this time they wouldn't be dragged away at a moment's notice.

Clearing his throat, Kouen let his lips pull into a smirk though masked any other reaction. Despite all the work they had been putting in, the staff and guards within this place still didn't have his full trust. But perhaps Iris might be willing to offer her help in that regard, he mentally chuckled at the thought before pushing it aside. Speaking as he glanced at Seishuu, he allowed a hint of pleasure to seep into his voice, "Is that so? I'll have to go check in on her."

"I placed them in the guest quarters, My King," Seishuu informed him as they reached the top of the stairs, "They apparently had a rather rough journey from Reim though no one seemed injured," Kouen narrowed his eyes at Seishuu, "Pirates thought their ship would be a favorable target. I assume Iris proved them quite wrong,"

Snorting softly as his smirk returned, Kouen muttered, "Of that, I am quite certain. Arashi?"

"Falling asleep on his feet-Well, Sirius's back," Seishuu coughed softly, "I never thought I'd see anyone ride a wolf, but yeah...Arashi was riding on Sirius,"

"Interesting," Kouen would have liked to see that, "See to it that they're not disturbed until dinner, I think they could use the rest from what I'm hearing,"

As Seishuu nodded to him, Kouen waved the man off and started heading in earnest to Koumei's office. Part of him longed to simply disturb Iris's rest and actually meet his son, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea no matter how much his heart wished for it. His brows rose at the fight of secretaries and advisors rushing about, the area around Koumei's office seemed to be a hive of activity. Stepping around the darting figures that seemed to be carrying piles of paperwork, he entered his brother's office.

Raising his head from one of the large piles of paperwork that always seemed to clog his desk nowadays, Koumei's lips were pulled into a faint smile, "En, you're back earlier than I thought you'd be. Did those nobles cooperate?"

Snorting as he moved to drop into the chair across from Koumei's desk, Kouen shook his head, "We need to fill their positions. They tried to lie and when I called them on it, they attempted to enact a coup."

"Dumbasses," Koumei shook his head with a sigh, "I assume their heads went rolling?"

"Is there any doubt?" Kouen raised an eyebrow at Koumei and his younger brother snorted, "I assume there is a reason for the beehive of activity outside?"

"Reconstruction efforts have finally picked up," Koumei replied with a smirk as he dragged out a piece of parchment and began to scrawl on it, "With any luck, we will be able to begin the next phase within Balbadd,"

"Wonderful," Kouen sighed deeply while leaning back against his chair, "So...Seishuu was waiting for me when I arrived," Koumei paused and glanced at him, "Did you hear about our guests?"

Lips pulled into a larger smile, Koumei nodded as he resumed writing, "Yes and I've already made arrangements for permanent rooms to be set up in the family wing with ours," Kouen smirked at his younger brother, "And I've made other arrangements to ensure they'd be comfortable. Most of them will wait until we've had a chance to speak with Iris, of course, I do not want to step on any toes."

Leaning forward, Kouen had to ask, "Did you see them earlier?"

"Unfortunately not," Koumei shook his head with a sigh, "I was still in that meeting with those eastern end nobles and it only ended an hour ago. I didn't have the heart to wake Iris even if it would have been nice to speak with her,"

"I suppose we will have to wait until dinner then," Kouen leaned back against his seat with a slight sigh and shook himself, "For now, I should take a look at your reports from that meeting,"

Waking up not long before dinner to a servant knocking on the door, Iris woke up a groggy Arashi as Sirius did the same with Scarlet. Freshening up and changing into new clothes, Arashi was fully awake by the time they were being led down the hallway toward a large dining room. She giggled as he bounced about looking at all the different objects decorating the hallway. Constant questions were thrown the servant's way, the questions didn't even pause for a second as they were led into the large dining room.

Her lips pulled into an amused grin as Arashi twisted around to look at the large glass chandelier hanging overhead, Iris's eyes met Kouen's as Koumei covered his mouth moments after she caught the amused smile on his lips. Arashi burst out, "Mama, look at that!" He pointed up at the chandelier, "It's like that one in the palace back in Remano, but it's made of glass."

Hearing a snort from the side, Iris rolled her eyes at Kin only to jolt when Arashi made a soft noise before shoving himself behind her legs. Head tilting at that reaction, she twisted around to peer at Arashi, "Dragonling, what's wrong?"

"B-big pig," Arashi looked a bit pale.

Biting back the urge to laugh as she heard Kin make a sound that was quickly cut off, Iris knelt to look Arashi in the eyes, "That's just Kin, Dragonling," She inwardly grimaced, but Sindria had been a prime example of just what she was about to tell Arashi, "Remember our time in Sindria? Hina's dragon-like friend?"

"Mister Drakon?" Arashi's voice was soft.

"Mhmm," Iris nodded firmly, "Kin and a few of Kouen's friends are like Drakon,"

"But...not a dragon..." Arashi's eyes were filled with confusion.

"It's because Kin is connected to my Djinn named Phenex," Kouen said and Iris looked over to see him walking towards them with a light smile on his face, "It all depends on the Djinn and the person, Arashi,"

"Oh..." Arashi's head tilted as he peeked around her to peer at Kouen, "That's weird,"

Crouching down to Arashi's eye level with a chuckle, Kouen smiled at Arashi, "It might seem weird at first, but you'll get used to it. Despite his appearance, Kin won't harm you."

Arashi eyed Kouen for a long moment before finally releasing her leg, "Promise?"

"I promise," Kouen extended his hand to Arashi, "Now how about we eat? I think everyone's pretty hungry and we can talk about anything you'd like to during our meal. Sound good?"

His smile slowly formed, Arashi nodded after glancing towards Iris and slowly took Kouen's hand, "I'd like that. Mama, is this Daddy Kouen or Daddy Koumei?"

Cheeks flushing as Seishuu and the others made soft noises, Iris ruffled Arashi's hair, "This is Kouen, Hatchling. En, this is Arashi though I know you're already aware of that."

Making a small noise as he shook his head, Kouen met her eyes with a gleam of amusement in his gaze. He cleared his throat, "You can call me Kouen if that makes you more comfortable."

Blinking slowly, Arashi shook his head, "I like calling you Daddy Kouen," Iris bit back the urge to snicker as Kin made a strangled noise, "Can we go eat now? I'm hungry."

Rather than sit between Kouen and Koumei as she had during her meal in Kou, Iris was settled between Arashi and Kouen once they finally walked over to the table. Introductions were done in quick order before food was brought out to them, she was more than a little amused to see Arashi start bouncing about again once he got some food into his belly. Questions were tossed about, the steam was seemingly unending despite the food rapidly disappearing from Arashi's plate.

Everyone tried to be patient with Arashi's enthusiastic questions. Iris was given a treat whenever Kin tried to be a grumpy asshole as Shuu or Seishuu hit him underneath the table. Taking a long sip from her glass of wine, it almost felt as if they had been transported back in time. As the dinner reached its conclusion and the plates were taken away, she saw Arashi start to slump against the table only to jolt upwards.

Biting back a smile, Iris reached out to ruffle his hair, "Getting tired, Hatchling?"

"Wah-" A yawn forced itself from Arashi's throat and Iris giggled as he pouted, "I'm not tired,"

"I think you are based on that, Dragonling," Arashi pouted at her.

"Am not," Arashi glowered at her as he crossed his arms.

Giggling softly at Arashi's attempts to hide his exhaustion, Iris reached out to ruffle his hair, "You're on the verge of falling asleep again even after the little nap, Hatchling," She poked his forehead lightly earning a glare as he rubbed at the spot, "Don't even try to deny it, a Mother knows."

"Mama knows nothing," Arashi grumbled at her just before another yawn brought tears to his eyes.

Tugging Arashi into her lap, Iris began to hum softly earning a low whine from him. Arashi continued to fight against sleep for a few minutes longer even as she stroked his back before finally succumbing. She glanced up as Kin commented, "I'll be damned you do have a way with that brat."

Glaring at him, Iris opened her mouth only to shut it with a smirk as Seishuu slapped the pig-like man. She nodded to Seishuu as Koumei chuckled, "He was fighting against sleep pretty hard."

"When we're in new places, he tends to especially as he's gotten older and can see more things," Iris continued to stroke Arashi's back, "It doesn't help that he's finally meeting you guys for the first time," She shook her head with a wry smile, "I should get him settled,"

"The servants have prepared proper rooms for you," Koumei stood from the table with a smile, "If you'll follow me, I'll show you,"

"I'd appreciate that," Iris adjusted Arashi and stood with a small amount of effort as he was becoming a bit heavy for her to carry.

Sirius stood up from where he'd laid down with Scarlet on his side after the two had devoured their dinner. Setting Arashi on Sirius's back, Iris adjusted Arashi carefully to make sure he wouldn't fall off before gesturing for Koumei to lead the way. They left the dining hall and headed down the hall before heading up a flight of steps. She glanced at Koumei as he commented, "You look a lot better...after the battle ended, I could tell you were still shaky despite Neville healing you."

Her lips pulled into a wry smile, Iris nodded with a soft chuckle, "I was still injured to a point," She saw Koumei glance at her, "All of us were low on magic though I was worse off than the others. Nev healed me enough to ensure I wouldn't die and that there wouldn't be any lingering damage from what happened. But..." She grimaced at the memory of that fight, "Yeah...I'm still pretty tired even now. At the very least, I can shift into my dragon form without complications, but it's been little more than two weeks since then. I-"

Jolting in surprise as Koumei hugged her tightly, Iris returned the hug slowly and smiled as she pressed her face into his neck. A slight tremble ran through his form as he muttered, "When I found your blood on my hands during the battle, I-" He shook his head, "The fact you were unconscious when we all landed after the Medium went silent didn't help matters. No matter what Neville or the others said, I was so fucking scared that you'd just died after we finally got you back. And then...then you were walking around as if nothing had happened," She felt her heartache at those words, "I wanted to throttle you for not just sitting still or just coming over to us. So hearing you say that, it hurts and makes me wish I'd actually forced you to sit with us."

Her grip on Koumei tightened as she absorbed his words, Iris could feel the fear and relief mingling within them. She whispered as her head laid against his neck, "I'm sorry, Mei. I didn't mean to worry you," She took a deep breath, "I've just always been like that-" She pulled away to give him a regretful smile, "It was how I was raised. Keep moving especially when you're hurt," She swallowed against the lump in her throat, "But I'm here now, you don't have to worry about me dropping dead any time soon."

Those red-pink eyes of his were filled with relief and amusement, Koumei whispered, "I'm just glad you're okay, Iris. I don't know what I would've done if..." He shook his head as the words trailed off, "I should have known you'd be fine. You always find a way to pull through even when things look dire," Iris smirked at him as he released her, "Let's get you two settled in, I'm sure you're just as tired as Arashi even if you seem to be hiding it better than him."

Letting out a laugh as they resumed walking, Iris admitted, "I am pretty tired though not as much as earlier," She reached out to grasp one of Koumei's hands in hers and saw him smile softly at the action even as he threaded their fingers together, "Arashi has a lot in common with Kouha when it comes to traveling,"

Snorting softly as they made their way up another staircase, Koumei shook his head, "Then it's truly no wonder why you're so tired even if you are still recovering, you must not have gotten a break even with Sirius helping you out."

"Nope," Iris shook her head, "But I love my hatchling with every fiber," She looked at Koumei as he squeezed their joined hands, "So tomorrow or the day after?" She saw him glance at her as they began walking down a long hallway, "Kouen, you, and I have our much-needed talk,"

"Probably the day after as En and I both need to shift our schedules around now that you're both here," Koumei stopped in front of a door and opened it, "This is Arashi's room,"

Making a soft noise at the large room, Iris smiled as she released Koumei's hand and walked inside with Sirius. She pulled Arashi from Sirius's back after pulling the covers back and settled the boy beneath them. Tugging the shoes off his feet, she pulled the covers back as Scarlet got settled beside Arashi's head on the pillow. Running her fingers through Arashi's hair with a soft look on her face, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before moving back from the bed.

Nudging her lightly, Sirius moved to lie down at the foot of Arashi's bed with a low grunt. Murmuring a soft goodnight to the trio, Iris left the room and shut the door behind herself. Seeing the surprise on Koumei's face, she explained, "Sirius will probably sleep with Arashi until they're both used to us being in Balbadd. He did the same thing when we arrived in Reim. It's a safety thing."

"That makes sense," Koumei shook his head and they walked a short way down the hall to another door, "This room is yours,"

Walking inside the room, Iris noted with some amusement that it was as big as the one she'd had in Kouen's palace though the windows were smaller. The color scheme was more earthy and the scent of the ocean was prevalent here. She turned to Koumei with a light smile, "Thank you, Koumei."

"It's no problem..." Koumei trailed off as she held up a hand.

"No just for this," Iris gestured around herself, "I know it's a lot even with our letter exchange. And we are going to talk properly, I just...it needs to be said," She ran a hand through her hair with a low sigh, "I didn't deserve either of you to forgive me for the shit I did back then. Even if it worked out with you two managing to figure things out back then, it doesn't change the fact that I did a shitty thing. Whether it was out of fear or not, I still did it..." She had started to pace, "And then when I left, the whole thing with Arashi happen-"

Arms wrapped around her and she was tugged back against Koumei's chest, Koumei spoke softly against her ear, "It's in the past, Iris. Mistakes were made, no one among us can doubt that," She took a deep breath, "But the fact you've acknowledged those mistakes shows just how much you have grown since then, En and I do not want to dwell on the past. We love you, Iris. We want to make things work out this time."

Her body slowly sank back against Koumei, Iris felt tears burn against her eyes as she admitted, "I want that more than anything, but part of me is scared that this is just a fucked up dream. That I'm going to wake up either in Reim or some shitty backwater village from the past," She took in a shaky deep breath, "I...I don't want that..."

Tightening his hold on her, Koumei's voice was a soothing murmur against her ear, "It's not a dream, Iris. You're here, we're here, and we going to make this work. You're not alone anymore."

Part of Iris loathed that she was trembling in Koumei's arms, it was hard to keep up the mask she'd worn for years when speaking of the past. Allowing herself a few moments to simply absorb the comfort of being back in his arms, she pulled away while wiping at the few tears that had fallen. Turning as a small smile curled across her lips, she whispered, "Thank you, Mei. I...I needed to hear that."

His hand cupped her cheek in hat familiar way, Iris's eyes nearly closed as she felt his thumb run along her cheek. Koumei's voice was soft, "Anytime, Iris"

It took far more strength to pull away from his touch than Iris wanted to admit. If she was being truthful, she would have leaned into Koumei's touch and never pulled away. Clearing her throat, she murmured, "I should get some rest. Arashi's going to be biting at the bit to explore tomorrow."

There was a look in his eyes, it was one eerily reminiscent of the ones Koumei had given her before they'd admitted their feelings. When his eyes flickered towards her lips before he stepped back, Iris knew it was the exact same one. He cleared his throat with a slight smile, "I will see you tomorrow then. I'll ensure someone can help lead you around the city and palace."

"I'd appreciate that," Iris bit her bottom lip as Koumei turned away from her, "Though Koumei?"

"Yes, Iris?" Koumei turned towards her with a raised eyebrow.

Gathering her courage, Iris pressed a quick kiss to his lips and pulled back as her cheeks flushed. She spoke softly, "I'd love it if you could give me some new book recommendations. I seem to have gone through the list you'd given me."

Startled look disappearing after a moment, Koumei smiled at her as he nodded, "I'll see about making a new one. Goodnight, Iris."

"Goodnight, Koumei," Iris watched him leave her room.