A Family Reunion — Blue Skooma archive

When I was a little girl, I traversed the tips of Skywatch and discovered every nook and cranny that my little hands and feet could wedge themselves into. I spied on the mages, I spied on the guards, and I spied on the workers that tended to the markets. I was a daring little adventurer, and I refused to be bound at home by my parents. The house? Bah. There was a whole world out there for me to explore, and I was not going to spend those idle days festering away in a house.

How fitting it is, then, that I find my daughter doing the same thing nearly forty years later, behind my family's home.

Skywatch is a large place. When I finally did manage to make it to the city, I figured the first place to check would be my childhood home, as Lilin would've most likely been looking for family there if Renma abandoned her here. The family is in Summerset, though, leaving the house empty and abandoned while they're away. Sure enough, there she was, jamming herself into the stonework adjacent the door. I made my move to walk up and speak to her, but something stopped me. I didn't quite know what to do, or how to approach this. I pondered whether or not she would despise me for the unintentional wrongdoings I forced upon her. I mentally kicked myself for risking something like this, and putting her in a scenario that forced her to grow up sooner than her time. I beat myself up over this for what seemed like an eternity. I wondered if my little girl was gone, and replaced by a pent-up adolescent with a myriad of aggression against me.

I left myself thinking about the consequences for so long, that I didn't even realize she'd popped out of the stonework with a confused countenance, that quickly shifted to unimaginable excitement. "Mother? How—Mother!" I turned to her and caught my bearings, giving her the most genuine smile I could. "Lilin." Her name was all I could say.

The next hour was spent speaking on the steps of the home. I commented on how she'd grown. Her clothing was new, and she had a dagger stuck underneath the belt of her attire. I didn't want her forced to experience the dull truths of combatives and death, but she seemed as positive as ever nevertheless.

"Wh–I, I thought you were dead! Mother, how are you back?" Lilin could barely contain her excitement, but I was aptly less excited at the thought of having to explain myself. And so, little by little, I eased into the subject of my absence.
"I did something very stupid, Lilin." So much for easing into the subject.
"What? No. Mother, you're alive! That's not stupid. What happened?"
It's always hard to start these difficult conversations, but mustering up the courage to spill your biggest blunder to the person you care for the most is harder than any petty squabble I've ever faced.
"I...I faked my death, Lilin." The bright-eyed, happy face that I grew to love contorted into absolute horror, and she stuttered as she tried to respond. "Wh. What? Why?"
"Lilin...I have no good answer." I bit my lip and tried to keep eye contact with her, though I found myself looking down frequently to avoid her confused stare. "I wanted to get away from town. For good. I wanted to take you with me. I tried. Things happened, though, and due to some failed communication, you were never told. Your father was never told, either. So...I came back for you two."
The face didn't go away. That innocent expression had shifted into something real, and flustered. She was angry. "Wh—Mother! What the–How? Why would you do something like this?"
"Lilin, I wanted to raise you alone, and be alone. I tried to leave before. I assumed that if I did something extreme, it would help keep me away from everyone. Not...not you, though. Or your father. That wasn't part of the plan."

Lilin shook her head and frowned. I could see the judgment. It was justified.
"Why would you want to leave the townspeople, Mother? They all need help. They need a lotta help. Even if y'can't fix it with one person alone, a lotta people together help make it work. And you helped it work! Why would you leave like that?"
I shook my head and worked up a response. "I thought it was what I wanted. I acted too quickly. And you suffered for it on my behalf. I never wanted to put you in this position; it wasn't my intent." I abruptly looked back up at her, and could feel the pleading stare I was offering her. "I know I don't deserve it. But, I want to try and make things better. I won't leave again."
There was a long silence from both of us as we stared each other down, but her gaze pierced me far more than I pleaded with her. The disappointment could be heard from her sighing alone, but after a dreadfully long period of quiet pleading, she relented and nodded.
"I forgive you, mother. I told Cantose to try and be better for what I thought he did, and I forgave him. I can forgive you too. But we're stayin' around here. And I'm gonna find Dad."

I looked back over at her and couldn't help but reach over to hug her. The biggest weight upon my shoulders felt lifted, and even though I'd made such a terrible mistake, I couldn't help but feel genuinely well in that moment. "I'm not going to leave you to look alone, Lilin. I'll help you find him."