Knock!

Knock!

KNOCK!

Kira wiped her sweaty palms against her skirt, then opened the dorm door to greet Ailsa and her grandpa.

Both Dwarves were stocky, but Ailsa looked almost slender next to the bulky hulk of a man standing just behind her. His beard was past his knees, decorated with intricate braids and metallic beads that accented the rich bronze sheen of his skin. His molten silver eyes were kind, crinkling at the corners with a smile she couldn't see past the thick beard.

Where Ailsa usually wore leather vests and comfortable cotton pants, Kira was surprised to see the older Dwarf wearing a white toga with a purple sash, feet clad in woven leather sandals that laced up his calves.

"Somethin' smells real good!" Ailsa said, ruffling Kira's hair before entering the room. Her eyes lit up on seeing the spread laid out on the dining table and kitchen counters, and Kira couldn't help grinning in satisfaction. "Kira this be Pappy. Pappy, this be me little disciple, Kira. Can I eat? I'm gonna be eatin'."

Ailsa's grandpa cleared his throat, then smiled at Kira in a way that made her remember her dad, and her heart ached for a moment. "Nice ta meetcha, Kira. I'm Feldar Albite, and it be me pleasure ta welcome ye inta our family. Yer welcome ta be callin' me Pappy as well, if'n ye dinnae mind!"

His voice was so deep Kira could almost feel it resonating in her bones, but it wasn't unpleasant. He held out a hand for a shake, and his grip was surprisingly gentle for someone who exuded power and strength from every bulging muscle in his stocky form.

"Okay... Pappy." Kira muttered bashfully, gesturing for Feldar to enter the dorm. The older Dwarf broke out into a grin so wide she could see shiny white teeth through the thick beard hiding half his face. He was so obviously pleased that Kira couldn't help feeling a warm fuzzy feeling past the nerves and anxiety squirming a knot in her gut.

"Did ye make all this yerself?!" Ailsa asked, piling a plate with food in the kitchen.

"Brigit helped with prep," Kira answered, shaking her head. "It was a lot."

"I'll say. Ooh! Pappy, tarts!"

"Slow down, ye brat!" Feldar huffed, shaking his head in exasperation. Then he turned to Kira again with another kind smile. "Thank ye fer cookin', lass. Real kind o' ye."

Kira mumbled something under her breath, her ears turning pink from embarrassment. She didn't want to admit it was in exchange for having someone bring her a gift, since Ailsa might have fibbed about that and it'd make her look silly.

She waited until the other two made their plates before sitting down with her own. Kira wasn't very good at dealing with strangers, and she preferred to listen when other people spoke rather than contribute to any conversations. It made her look antisocial to people who didn't know any better, but she truly enjoyed listening.

People were interesting. Especially when they were kind.

Luckily, Feldar and Ailsa were all too happy to have a conversation all on their own. They bantered comically back and forth, making room for Kira to interject if she wanted without making it seem like they were waiting on her input.

They were obviously very affectionate toward each other, teasing banter softened by gentle gazes and half-hidden smiles. Kira found herself grinning before long, when Feldar stealthily stole Ailsa's last mini-quiche and kept a perfectly straight face as his granddaughter kept throwing suspicious glances at Kira.

Kira's nerves melted away until she entirely forgot she'd been nervous about the visit, and simply enjoyed breakfast with her guests.

"A fine meal! The finest I be havin' in years!" Feldar said as he leaned back in his chair, making a face when it creaked ominously in protest. He subtly adjusted his bulk to put less stress on the furniture.

"This be me favorite part," Ailsa loudly fake-whispered, leaning over toward Kira. "Once he finishes eatin' he be handin' out gifts like ol' Greatfather Snow."

"'Ey now, don't ye be teachin' the wee bairn yer bad 'abits!" Feldar grumbled, pinching Ailsa's ear to drag her away from Kira. "Now I know why ye always be invitin' me 'round fer lunch!"

"Ow ow ow! But ye got us gifts, didn't ye?!"

"Us? US? Bold of ye ta be assumin' yer gettin' anythin' now."

"Ye can't be playin' favorites like that, Pappy!"

"Big words from the old favorite!"

"Old? OLD? Oh, so I really was the favorite..."

"Ye been replaced by someone cuter."

"Pappy! Well, actually I can't be arguin' that, she's awful cute."

Kira sank low in her chair, her face and ears bright red. She wanted to protest, but no noise came out when she opened her mouth, so she just hid. Ailsa chuckled while Feldar cleared his throat.

"Well, since ye were kind enough ta allow me ta meet ye, and made such a wonderful breakfast fer us..."

"Here it comes!" Ailsa whispered, and Feldar leaned over to playfully swat the back of her head.

"I did prepare gifts fer both o' ye, but mebbe I be givin' both ta the new favorite, aye?"

"Pappy, no!"

Ailsa sounded so devastated that Kira choked back a laugh, pretending to cough for a moment when her mentor sent her a despairing glare.

Feldar laughed, a deep rolling belly laugh that shook the empty dishes on the dining table. Then he pulled two wrapped gift boxes from his inventory, and handed one to each of them. A cute frilly pink box trimmed in lace for Ailsa, and an elegant golden box with silver ribbons for Kira.

"Is it... Really okay?" Kira asked hesitantly, eying the beautiful box with something resembling fear.

"If'n ye don't wannit I'll take it," Ailsa said, quickly pulling back her outstretched hand when she saw Feldar's side-eyed glare. "Pappy asked what kind of things ye like, ye know? He chose it fer ye and already paid fer it, so of course it be okay ta take it! It be a gift, not blackmail."

Kira nodded, suspicion assuaged by Ailsa's assurances, then pulled the gift box into her lap to carefully unwrap the ribbons. She wanted to keep the pretty packaging intact so she moved much more slowly than Ailsa, who tore her entire box apart with enthusiasm.

"Brilliant! Pappy, how did ye know!?" Ailsa's eyes sparkled as she lifted a set of ornate bottles out of the box, each filled with a uniquely colored sparkling liquid.

"Ye think I ain't been watchin' yer fights?! O' course yer runnin' low on elixirs, the way ye be throwin' yerself around inta monster mouths wit' nary a care." Feldar clicked his tongue disapprovingly, but his affectionate expression gave him away.

"I just be fightin' how ye taught me." Ailsa shrugged, completely unbothered by the gentle criticism. "Ooo, stat boostin', healin', all-purpose antidote, magic boost... Pappy, ye shouldn't have!"

"Could always give it back."

"No, no, I be managin' somehow."

"Neat!" Kira said suddenly, with such enthusiasm that both Ailsa and Feldar were startled into silence. For once in her life, the human girl didn't seem bothered by the attention at all. She was too distracted by the gift.

A heart-shaped chunk of iridescent mineral that looked as smooth as forged metal, with a shimmering surface bearing color that seemed to shift and dance. A note in the box encouraged her to try using 【 Earthshape 】 on it to form a glove, written in bold and blocky print.

"Oh? Oh! Ohhhh!" Kira grinned as the metal surged up her hand, moving like a strange, viscous liquid to dance around her fingertips. The grimoire in her chest hummed in excitement, reaching tendrils of mana toward the rainbow mineral. "It's so responsive! Even dirt isn't this easy to shape!"

"Pappy?" Ailsa whispered, her voice hoarse and face uncharacteristically pale, but Feldar pressed a finger to his lips to shush her before Kira noticed their exchange.

"That be Mercurial Bismuth Crystal," Feldar said. "So named officially, anyway, despite havin' nae relation nor similarity ta bismuth aside from looks. Folks who be knowin' it call the mineral Epainos. Only Geomancers be usin' it proper, like. It be like a friendly puppy fer them, but fer other folks, even earth-based mages? Stubborn and cold toward strangers, it be. Only soft ta those it likes. Flexible as needed, but tough and resilient."

"Sounds familiar," Ailsa muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Like every earth-aligned person ye ever met, aye? Epainos be ranked with Safirite and the like in terms of earth affinity requirements. It be tough as diamond nae matter how thick it be, so ye can spread it 'cross both hands and be usin' it as a weapon, or spread it on yer body fer armor."

"Thank you," Kira whispered, a lump of emotion in her throat making it hard to speak. The sincerity in her voice almost brought tears to the other two's eyes. Feldar cleared his throat, and Ailsa reached over to affectionately ruffle Kira's hair.

"Glad ye like it," Feldar said. "Now I dinnae hafta be takin' it back!"