The door to their home opened and Damien made his way inside, neck still sore from earlier as Garrett and Emily tried to help him remove his coat. They'd been nearby the entire walk back, seemingly content to let Emra assist him in walking, but the moment they'd gotten to the gate of their home the parenting kicked in. It was a little much for his tastes, but if letting them dote on him would help them calm down, so be it.

His thoughts were a jumbled mix between whether Petrina was worth the trouble, why Dewitt hadn't interjected sooner, what he was training for if people could suppress his magic so easily, and why Oryen was following him around as opposed to keeping his wife company at the infirmary. No matter the answer, it wouldn't help him get rid of the phantom pain healing couldn't fix, or the frightful realization he'd come to: If Dewitt hadn't been there or Kastra hadn't been so convincing, he would have died, and Kastra would have followed him to the grave.

Dewitt hadn't held back on her magic when she'd blown the Celestial out of the sky; Damien had heard Petrina's wings crumple beneath the impact. He didn't really understand what his instructor had done, either. The woman claimed to specialize in Illusion and body magic but it had almost looked like brute force was how she'd grounded the Celestial. Just raw strength.

But that begged the other question in his mind, whenever wondering about that. Obviously, no matter the circumstance, there was no doubt she could have wholly overpowered the Celestial at any time. So why had she waited so long before interfering?

"Looks like Petrina's already healed up," Oryen mentioned from the front entrance of the house, interrupting Damien's thoughts.

Damien turned around to observe him and watched as the man moved his hand in front of his eyes to break up a message as he hung up his coat by the front door.

"Well maybe you should go pick her up and leave," Alexa scathingly replied, helping Garrett put his and Damien's jackets on the rack.

He felt Kastra's head nod back and forth as she rested on Damien's shoulder, cheek and body pressed up against his neck as close as possible.

"Sweety," Emily started from beside Damien.

"Mom," Damien cut in, shaking his head lightly while donning a serious expression.

This wasn't their matter to get involved with.

A few moments of silence went by whereupon the group stared at one another uneasily, none speaking or moving. Oryen eventually sighed, breaking the stagnant air as he turned around to step inside and face his daughter, prompting Emily, Garrett, and Vanessa to continue further into the entree way together. Oryen smiled sadly before opening his mouth to speak.

"Now that she has calmed and sobered somewhat, perhaps-"

"There is no way in hell you're about to suggest what I think you are," Alexa interrupted, glaring daggers at him.

"I just-"

"You saw what she did!" Alexa spoke, interjecting again. "If she isn't prostrating herself with an apology to Damien the next time I see her, I never want to see her again!"

"Sweetheart," Oryen started, smiling nervously while scratching the side of his face, "that might be a little-"

"No, dad. I am damn serious. I don't want her near us," Alexa demanded.

The man's smile faltered as he looked elsewhere, stepping further in the house instead of responding.

Damien felt bad for him. He was coming to really like Oryen, but he couldn't bring himself to defend the guy on this point. It wasn't that Damien wanted an apology of any kind, he couldn't have cared less about that, it was that he wasn't about to agree with Oryen in an effort to appease or defend Petrina in any way. If it had been Oryen who'd attacked him, maybe right here Damien would speak up in his defense, citing reasons of love and blind rage while also wanting to hear what her dad had to say for himself. But he had no desire to defend a woman who loved her last name more than her daughter.

Damien watched Oryen's face light up orange as another message flashed before his eyes, his eyes drooping as he read the short message.

"Well... good luck with that then," Oryen said with a sigh as he looked up at his daughter. "Because she is on her way."

"If she thinks she is stepping one foot inside I-"

"We should speak with her in the lounge," Vanessa interrupted, surprising Damien and stopping Alexa mid-sentence.

Based on her attitude toward her sister the entire time they had been here, he hadn't expected the younger of the two to be the one agreeing to meet her. Since they'd arrived, Damien hadn't seen them both in the same room together once.

"But I-"

"I think it's a good idea, sweety," Emily stated, backing up Vanessa and further surprising Damien.

When he looked over at her again, she was ignoring his gaze of non-interference as she continued speaking.

"I... I'm not exactly the biggest fan of the woman myself, Lexi, but I... I just think it would be nice if she could try to atone?" Emily finished, voice rising at the end.

"It'll be easier to deal with her with all of us together, you mean," Vanessa corrected, getting rid of the hopeful vibe Emily tried to imbue in the situation. "She would try to oppress you in a conversation just between the two of you and you'd get emotional, most likely not defending your stance very well. But with the four of us, we can at least find out if she's willing to try to make amends. If not... well, maybe that would make things easier, wouldn't it?" Vanessa finished with a nod.

Damien watched as Alexa's expression went from mad to surprised, embarrassed, curious, thoughtful, mad again, and then ending on hurt. He felt as the pact corroborated every single jump her mind went through while regretting there wasn't anything he could do for her in this moment. Nothing he could do or say that would take away the pain from all of this.

'When the witch gets here I can at least be there for-' he started, before his mind blanked on Vanessa's earlier statement.

"The four of you?"

"Yes, the four of us," Vanessa stated with finality. "You three," she said, motioning with her hand at his dad and Oryen while Kastra flit from his shoulder to Alexa's, "can go to the library or somewhere else. Go out back. We will talk with Petrina. We don't need any of you there."

"I have quite a few things I'd like to speak with that woman about," Garrett said, stepping forward with a peeved look.

"Your and Damien's presence would just piss her off more, and that idiot has already admitted he can't help with her more than he has," she responded, motioning to Oryen. "If you think you have anything you'd like to say that none of us already want to, though, you're a fool."

Garrett glared at Vanessa for a few seconds before glancing over to Emily, who gave him no support. She seemed to agree with the Celestial, causing him to sigh and back down.

Damien glanced around as Emily and Vanessa began whispering, Oryen simply observing everyone. Alexa was still by the front door, holding onto his jacket while clenching it with sharp nails and an irritated expression.

"Well, would you like to lead the way?" Garrett eventually said, looking over at Damien.

Damien gave a noncommital shrug before making his way toward

the front door. When he got there, he removed his coat from her angry, clenched hands and hung it up on their coat rack. When he turned to her, she looked back at him angrily with a face on the verge of tears.

He brought her into his arms with some strength, surprising her and Kastra who shook lightly on the girl's shoulder.

'If Vanessa thinks it can be salvaged...'

"My love, at least try if they're willing to," he whispered to her, pulling their bodies apart slightly so he could look in her eyes. "I trust you in whatever you decide. One huge mistake isn't enough to make me despise her beyond reparations, though I hope you won't get mad at me when I don't invite her over for dinner often," he finished with a sad chuckle.

She stared back at him confused and angry, but said nothing. When she tried to look away, Damien pulled her eyes back to his with his hands and continued speaking.

"None of this was your fault. Please stop feeling guilty and angry for me. Do whatever you want to do here; I don't want you having any regrets later. I will always love you, no matter what you decide."

With that, he gave her a light peck on the forehead as her angry facade dropped, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as they squinted with her cheeks raising. He looked up and over her shoulder while pulling her head in close, settling on his shoulder.

"Make sure no one kills anyone, please. We still have to come back here next year," Damien joked as his eyes fell on Kastra.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it goes well," another voice called out from further behind the Fae, startling Damien as he looked up and over Kastra's head, seeing his Beast Handling instructor standing at the doorway without her trademark goggles. "I was here to see what you all wanted to do. Usually, in this situation, I'd have already escorted her off the premises of the country, but since miss N'moran there is Diamond and this was an internal dispute, there are different protocols to follow. Now seeing you're all so resolved... I suppose I can stay for the hour to see if she gets excommunicated or not," Ms. Dewitt stated, voice stern as she looked into their home from the doorway.

"I was afraid that might be the case," Oryen said.

"The five of us, then," Kastra asserted light-heartedly.

After a pause in conversation where everyone stared at one another, waiting for someone to talk, Oryen clapped his hands and spoke again.

"Well, I can hear her almost here. Damien, Garrett, I suppose it's best we-"

"Yeah, fine," Damien interrupted, giving Alexa one last kiss on the forehead before turning away and walking toward his dad, gently pushing on his back to get him moving toward the back yard.

Emra walked nearby him again, following them out but no longer keeping so close that Damien had to lean on her to walk. She seemed to understand he was steady enough on his own and merely kept a close presence, Piper resting atop her head.

He sent as much trust and love as he could through the bond as they all moved out of the room.

Petrina stared across the room at her daughter, her younger sister, the leech's mother, the Fae, and the woman who had put her into the ground earlier. Sitting just shy of two hundred years of age and very talented, rare did she come across those that so vastly outstripped her fighting capabilities, yet here she sat, maintaining appearances in front of the smaller Human.

Glancing back to her younger sister, Petrina sighed. The sound caused Vanessa to glare at her even more than she already was, but Petrina was beyond a point of caring about the girl's attitude. She'd never been able to understand why Vanessa had attached herself to that specific female Human or how she associated with them after what happened to their family, but she didn't want to anymore.

She just wanted her daughter back.

Unfortunately, her daughter was already gone.

"Well?" Alexa asked her again, irritation, pride, and exasperation all present in the girl's tone.

Her daughter never spoke to her like this, never acted like this. She was respectful, dignified... She didn't cry in front of people so openly. She was the perfect little woman in public and private.

Petrina glared back.

"I am your mother and you will not speak to-"

"Are you sure about that? Because the way you struck me earlier makes me wonder," Alexa asked, interrupting her with plenty of anger unhidden in her words.

"You stabbed-"

"Of course I did! You were hurting him without even giving him the SLIGHTEST opportunity to defend himself from your accusations," her daughter yelled, interrupting again.

Petrina rolled her eyes and glared at Vanessa. Allowing Alexa to be cared for by her was a mistake. She'd trusted Vanessa in a moment of weakness and this was the result. She was the direct cause of this.

"Answer me," Alexa demanded again. "Do you?"

'Do I care about her. I suppose I should have expected her to throw a tantrum,' Petrina thought.

"I would like to speak with you alone," she stated, not giving into the girl's ridiculous yelling.

Alexa glared at her for another few moments before turning away, no longer speaking.

"That isn't going to be happening," the instructor stated.

"You will stay out of our matters," Petrina snapped, clenching her right fist to try and calm down.

"Either I stay here as a moderator to bear witness to the conclusion of this conversation, or I remove you from the country by force here and now," Belinda stated, no room for negotiation present in her eyes.

Petrina continued glaring at her for another few seconds before turning to look at the boy's mother, Emily if she recalled. Her and the Fae being the only two not to have spoken of yet. Perhaps if she had some tact, Petrina could convince her to leave, but she wouldn't hold her breath on it.

"Will you not leave the room so I can have a moment with my family?" she asked.

"She-" Alexa started turning back with more anger visible before the woman put a hand on her leg, quieting her.

"My family has asked that I be here," Emily responded.

"No one here is a piece of your family," Petrina replied with venom, meeting the woman's eyes.

"In your opinion, maybe, but the way I see it, I'm the only woman present here qualified to be called her mother."

Petrina felt her face flush red as anger raged beneath the surface of her mind. She could almost feel a headache coming on from doing all she could to repress herself from lashing out. There was no point in trying to mince words after the last couple of idiotic statements.

Silence ruled the room for a minute after until Vanessa began the conversation anew.

"None of us will be leaving. If you have anything more to demand of her, you will say it in front of us."

Petrina looked around and eventually, her eyes landed back on her daughter. She sat between the other two with the Fae on her shoulder, meeting Petrina's gaze.

They had made her stronger, at least. Whereas before she was proud, now she had confidence and skill to back that up. At least it wasn't a total waste of time and development. Her daughter was undeniably talented.

'Just imagine where she'd be if I could have kept her on schedule with her training,' she thought.

Petrina knew where the room stood at the moment. She understood that everyone here cared for the boy in one way or another, and she had crossed a line she should never have. If she hadn't been forced to be around that fool all the time, if she had been told they were staying together scant months prior, if she hadn't seen they'd made a pact, imbibed so much alcohol... Plenty of things led to her lashing out, and if she could, she'd go back in time and stop herself.

Obviously, attacking him was a dangerous option. If the pact is one of death like the Fae had claimed, just by slamming him into the building she'd risked her daughter's life. But this world wasn't one where actions could be removed from the past once committed.

Whereas before she may have had some opportunity to get Alexa back under her roof to get her away from the boy, now...

"Of course I care about you, Alexenna," Petrina finally stated.

"Then why?" her daughter shot back immediately. "If you even cared about me the slightest amount, why would you do that?"

"He is an urchin who is using you-"

"You don't know anything about him!" Alexa yelled, interrupting her.

"I know Humans! It is what they do," Petrina replied, lowering her voice and trying not to let her anger take over.

"You hate them because your parents were killed years before I was born! He has never done anything like that. You have no idea who he is and you never could because the second you got here you only looked at him as a problem! What if you had killed him on accident? You know how young our bodies are! Would that make you feel justified because he was a Human?! Would you be ok with taking away their son because some unrelated people took your family?!"

Her daughter's tirade finally came to a close and Petrina glared back at her, fists and teeth clenched. Having to allow her own child to yell at her and talk back like this was infuriating her in a way she'd never known before. The fact that Alexa was infatuated with the leech certainly didn't help.

No matter what happened from here on, nothing Petrina said would convince her that he was anything less than a victim.

'Easy my love, don't shout at her now. Do not lose her here. You'll never have the opportunity to win her back to the family if she forsakes it. I believe you may need to apologize.'

Her husband's voice floated into her ear, pleasantly surprising her. Hearing it had soothed her and helped her feel less alone, but his suggestion caused more anger to well up within her.

'Apologize for this of all things. For attacking that stupid, irritating, foolish Human...'

"I only intended to scare the boy," Petrina said, realizing she hadn't responded in almost a minute.

It was always so much easier to keep in her emotions and anger when family was not involved. Alexa, Vanessa, Oryen, her late parents... all of it tried her patience and willingness to appear civil. But if she let loose here, Alexa might disinherit the family as Vanessa did. She would never get the chance to fix what Vanessa had broken. And if she pushed her too far...

She didn't want to lose her only daughter completely.

"You should have never laid your hands on him," Alexa shot back.

'Dear, apologi-' Oryen's voice started before being cut off, fading out as if struggling to get through something.

Petrina's eyebrows knit together as the motionless little Fae on her daughter's shoulder mouthed something to her. She didn't know what she had said, but perhaps the creature was the reason he had been cut off.

Either way, it was apparent what she needed to do here. He was right, as always. She may have been the voice for the family, but Oryen always knew what to say and do to get what they needed. A master strategist on the field, and at home.

"Yes, well, I did. That is done. He is alive, and we are here. I... apologize for hurting you and your little... fling," Petrina said, looking off to the right and spitting the last word out. "I shouldn't have struck you like that, no matter how escalated the situation was, and I shouldn't have attacked him."

The room went silent as Petrina stared back at her daughter. A few seconds went by where she didn't respond and no one else spoke, confusing Petrina.

"Well?" she asked, eventually turning to look at Vanessa who held a look of surprise. "What?"

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you apologize," Vanessa stated.

Petrina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well even I can see I may have overstepped my bounds in this little event," she said. "Especially being on the grounds of my alma mater," she continued, nodding towards Belinda Dewitt.

The woman had been her own teacher at one point. Respecting one's elders was important.

That further confused the two women before her. It seemed neither expected her to give at all in this conversation, let alone admit wrong.

"That... I... I don-"

Petrina's ears perked up.

"Speak clearly, with purpose," she cut in bitingly, interrupting Alexa's stuttering.

When she was younger, Alexa often stuttered and stumbled over her words, yet since arriving Petrina hadn't heard her do it once. The small change was something she'd not noticed among the multitude of larger ones, but she also viewed it as an opening — an old habit. It used to irk her when the girl did that, yet right now, it had become a boon. She had finally done something Petrina knew how to deal with.

"I... ok," Alexa replied, seeming confused as she lowered her gaze for the first time.

"Now then. If all of that was quite enough, I imagine it's time we pack your things," Petrina asserted.

Alexa looked up confused, meeting her eyes, then looked back down and away again. That was what Petrina had been looking for. Her daughter was finally acting how she knew her to; showing deference and not trying to run the conversation, as a good daughter should.

"I-"

"You may have been having a nice time on vacation but fling or not, you'll be returning home with us. You won't be expected to go through our cultural requirements any longer, but you are still our daughter. We have been apart too long."

As she spoke, Alexa continued looking down or off to the side. It seemed her bravado had worn off once most of her anger had been abated with a simple apology.

'Oryen will be happy to hear she will be returning, so long as the unrelated don't step where they shouldn't.'

Perhaps Vanessa wasn't interrupting because she understood it was not her place just as it wasn't for the others.

Petrina allowed herself a small grin after a few more seconds.

"We will leave sharp tomorrow mor-"

"No, it is not enough."

Petrina stopped her words and glared up at the small thing that had interrupted her, voice much louder and equalized than should be produced by something so little.

Alexa jumped slightly before lifting her head to look at the small Fae herself, eyes seeming hopeful for something.

"Excuse me?" Petrina asked in a stern voice, causing Alexa to look back down quickly. "Your opinion in the matter-"

"You asked if it was quite enough. It wasn't," the Fae stated without emotion. "I thought I'd wait to answer as long as you did with our earlier question."

Petrina felt her temple throbbing once again. When she was prepared to speak, the Fae continued.

"You apologized to Alexa for hurting her, as you should. You apologized to her for hurting our love, as you should."

"And that is eno-"

"You haven't apologized to him yet," the Fae stated, coldly staring back at Petrina.

'Apologize to the Human!?'

The woman glared daggers at the tiny bug that dared even suggest such an action. The thought was laughable.

"You have no place here to demand I do that," Petrina growled out.

"And even if you do, Lexi won't be leaving with you," the Fae said, ignoring her. "She is not yours. She is mine. She is whom I have contracted with, and you will not be taking her from me or our family to corrupt and manipulate."

"I do NOT-"

"Look at her," the Fae spoke up loudly, waving at Alexa as her voice once again triumphed over Petrina's own. "All the anger, passion, voice, love, happiness... everything that made her who she was a moment ago, gone. Replaced by this quiet, submissive thing all because you know how to manipulate her into being subservient to your wishes."

"I'm not-"

"I would never entrust her to someone like you, let alone anywhere near that Island. She is not your possession," the Fae finished, interrupting Alexa's meek protest.

Petrina stood up abruptly, causing Vanessa, Emily, and the Instructor to all stand at the same time with apprehension on their faces.

"To even suggest I offer that insect an apology for what he has caused in my family is insulting, let alone think you, a weak bug of a race, can decide the inner workings of MY family," she said, hate laced throughout her words.

"Petrina, sit-"

"I don't want to hear it from you!" Petrina screamed, interrupting her sister. "She will be coming home with us and if any of you are lucky, we may even allow you to visit! She is MY daughter, not that idiotic trollop of a woman's or ANY OF-"

"Stop."

"-YOURS FOR THAT MATTER AND IF YOU THINK FOR ONE GODS DAMMED MOMENT-"

"STOP!" Alexa screamed, halting Petrina's words as she glared down at her daughter.

The little girl had pulled her legs up to her chest and was hugging them, shaking with her forehead resting on her knees.

"Just get out," she begged into her own lap.

"I will not-"

"GET. OUT!!" Alexa shouted, head lifting as she met Petrina's eyes.

Petrina felt her heart stop as her stomach twisted, involuntarily taking a half step backward. Her daughter's expression was distorted with sadness and anger as tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes.

The Fae beside Alexa had become full size before anyone had even noticed, arms wrapped around her while cooing at her hysterical daughter. After what felt like an hour but was no doubt seconds, the girl dropped her face back down onto her knees and continued sobbing. Petrina took a step forward, realizing too late that she'd pushed much too hard while reaching forward slightly.

"It's time you left now," Emily said coldly, stopping her in her tracks.

"I agree," Vanessa added in an even stricter tone.

The female instructor made her way around the table, gesturing with her eyebrows that Petrina move for the door leading back to the entryway, once again showing no room for negotiation.

Petrina nodded after a few seconds and put her hand down, moving for the exit in a fog. A few seconds later, she was outside the house and looking back at the doorway, still unsure of what she should be doing or what steps she should be taking. Her mind fluctuated between anger and shock, occasionally telling her to go back in and demand Alexa come with her, then reeling from the thought of facing her expression again.

Eventually, she turned away from the house.

"Your things will be sent tomorrow. You will be taking the teleporter back to Hylyu tonight."

"Thank you, Belinda," Petrina responded, mind calming down after hearing the older woman's voice.

"Will you be needing an escort there?" the Human asked respectfully.

"No, thank you," Petrina responded, just as Vanessa exited the house.

"A moment please," her sister asked, getting a nod from both their former instructor as the woman disappeared from existence with a pop.

"Here to gloat?" Petrina asked, turning an irritated expression to her younger sister after a few moments had gone by in the still night.

"To gloat?" Vanessa scoffed. "You disappoint me."

"I disappoint you?" Petrina asked incredulously, glaring at her sister. "You have changed, not me. You had no right to change my daughter along with you."

"I have changed. For the better, since I abandoned the family. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't cut ties with you right then and there-"

"If you so much as suggest to her that she leaves-"

"You'll what?" Vanessa asked, interrupting her with an irritated look as her wings lifted slightly, and she took a step forward. "You'll hurt me? Hit me? Beat me up like you used to? What will you do? Hunt me down?"

When she paused, Petrina said nothing, only continuing to glare.

"You won't have to worry about that though, because I don't try to alter people the same way you do. She is her own person, and she'll decide what to do with her life alone, ultimately. Whether that's to leave you behind or give you another chance is not for me to influence," Vanessa stated.

"She is too young to-"

"You don't know what she is because you never visited!" her sister yelled. "And I'm glad you didn't. You sent her to me with the intention of saving her from physical harm, and if it weren't for Damien, maybe she'd have gone back the same. But he managed to actually save her. To give her a real-life and home. And if you think for a second I was going to let you keep bending her to your will like you tried to do back there," Vanessa shouted, pointing back towards the house angrily, "to turn her back into a meek little existence that listens to you like you're her God, you're on Ralium."

Petrina stood still, staring angrily into Vanessa's eyes while she glared back for over a minute. Finally, Petrina decided she had had enough, turning around and beginning the trek towards the city, where the portal was located.

"Do you even see her as a daughter or just a tool to be used?" Vanessa asked from behind as Petrina opened her wings and took off into the sky.