Vanessa Oedheim was in the ship, sitting in a room that she’d reformatted, changing the layout, and having the walls grow an observation screen, similar to the one that Edwin showed her before.

She watched her husband crush yet another member of the Radiant Orrichalcum Garden’s Inner-circle. Doing so dispassionately, with a terrifying efficiency. Using what seemed to be an infinitely more profound version of the swordsman’s technique to defeat him in a space of seconds.

Once again, it was impressed upon her that her husband was something of an odd case. It was said that every man had at least three faces, one that he showed to the world, one that he showed to his family and friends, and one that even he might not know about.

Edwin’s public face, was straight-forward, polite, and calm. His private face was earnest, and childishly bright, sometimes energetic, sometimes laid back. Then there was the face that she was watching him make right now. The one she’d always called the bug, or the machine.

It’d creep the hell of out her watching him make that face back when they were kids. And now that she was his wife, she wasn’t really feeling that much more positive about it.

She wasn’t scared anymore, not like she used to be, she knew that the youth would never knowingly harm her, or any of the rest of the family.

Yet, looking into those eyes that were devoid of any emotion, save perhaps a muted sense of morbid-curiosity, and a single-minded focus that looked not at the things right in front of him, but instead looked to their consequences in some far off future, she couldn’t help shivering.

Keenly aware in the back of her mind, that just as he was taking care not to seriously harm anyone he challenged, or anyone who challenged him, he could have easily turned that scene into a bloodbath. With the only thing that stood in the way of that possibility being that it wasn’t in line with the man’s goals at the moment.

Which seemed like a matter of fact, common sense thing to know, but wasn’t, because other people would have other things there to stop them, like the sanctity of life, or morality, or a certain level of empathy making them resistant to the idea of hurting people.

Normally, one had to train soldiers to kill, just to get them over that hurdle.

Seeing that machine-like face, Van knew that none of that was there. She loved Edwin, when he was her brother, and still loved him, now that he was husband, but she was well aware that the man was somewhat...off.

The only reason the youths that routinely lay on stage, at Edwin’s feet were always still breathing when he was done with them, was because it suited his purposes, nothing more, nothing less.

After watching his fight, and seeing that all was well, she sighed, and changed the focus of the screen as she decided to think of other things. The visuals changing to that of the arid yet viridescent, Emerald Steppes.

She was going home to Rus to visit her family, and the best part was that Edwin had come through, and gotten permission from the sect so she could make it a nice long visit if she so chose.

The bemused bride suspected that the sect had thought the their troublesome young disciple would be going with her when they gave their permission.

The trip could have been over quite quickly but seeing no reason to hurry, Van was having the ship fly at a more leisurely place. Allowing for her arrival to come in a matter of hours, rather than minutes.

Time that she spent looking over a series of text-covered holographic windows that held information concerning open venues in the continent of Harta, with the Palmas Kingdom being given the most focus.

She was researching spots to open her first shop, and researching places to open her shop, had lead to researching how one might open a shop period. Which then in turn lead to researching market trends, and possible niches in demand for her to take advantage of.

It was dry reading, but she was having a surprising amount of fun with it.

She couldn’t help wondering why Edwin had all this information just sitting around, or why or how, he’d gotten the Harta specific data. Especially the stuff concerning private deals that absolutely no one besides the concerned parties, and possibly the kingdom, really should have known about.

She’d ultimately decided that in this instance she wasn’t even going to bother asking about it.

Vanessa did this for about three hours, allowing the ship to fly itself, and only closing the holographic desktop when the ship informed her that she’d reached her destination.

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Rus was more or less exactly as Vanessa remembered it, a dusty, rough and tumble little town in the middle of nowhere. A town populated with an odd mixture of extremely neighborly folk, and strangers who looked like they’d just run there with the devil on their tail.

Van however wasn’t exactly the same woman she’d been when she left, looking and feeling slightly out of place, with her gown and robe of tastefully matched satin and silks making her look like a lady of the courts.

Which was why she changed before disembarking. She generally tried to dress to fit her setting. Her brief time outcast from the family of her birth, the McBriars, had made her sensitive to not fitting in, and while she was still quite individualistic, standing out unnecessarily wasn’t something that made her feel ill at ease.

It took one mental command to have the ship teleport her down to the town below, she had it drop her off a little away from the town, so as not to draw unnecessary attention. She walked in through Rus’s gates, and took her time meandering through the dusty streets.

Visiting a few old haunts, and saying hi to a few old faces before she reached her childhood home.

The first thing that greeted her was the sight of her father, shirtless broad backed, skin gleaming with sweat. His dark-green skin aglow with health. His eyes were brighter than she’d ever seen them before almost seeming to glow.

He was training with his sword, and Egon, his eldest son, and Wallace, Van, and Edwin’s, eldest brother trained with him.

Their blades shattered just as Van arrived, she jolted and quickened her pace, concerned.

“Hey you guys okay?” said Van.

Jarek just stood staring at the shattered hilt in his hands for a few seconds before reacting to his voice.

Then his face brightened again, and he laughed, turning around and smoothly sweeping the young woman up in an embrace.

“Hah...Yeah, we’re fine...It’s just that these days we go through we go through practice gear a lot…” said Jarek.

“Heya, sis.” said Egon. Stretching a bit before beginning to pick up the biggest of the metal splinters.

“Hi yourself, stone-face. How’s it going?” said Van. Taking the chance to tease the

Egon just rolled his eyes, and continued with what he was doing. Van let him go, knowing that he’d probably be more willing to chat later. Egon was the most reserved of the four...now three..Vis-Oddmund siblings and generally did things at his own pace.

Van returned her attention to her father who still had his arm slung over her shoulder.

“You know, dad...I mean...You know, father-in-law…”

Jarek laughed.

“No need to be reserved...just because the arrangement of things has changed a little doesn’t mean that we aren’t all still family.”

Van smiled.

“Okay..... dad. Anyway, I was thinking you can probably ask Eddy to set some stuff up for you guys, not just practice weapons either...he’s got all this equipment up in the you know what...practically an entire factory...Or maybe not practically a factory. I’m pretty sure it’s just a legit factory, and a huge one too…”

Jarek stroked his cleanly shaven chin, his face clear of the usual five o’clock shadow that it used to bear, before his miraculous recovery.

“Mhm...that does sound like an idea.” said Jarek. His eyes sparkling. His thoughts seeming to turn to matters that weren’t just contained to the personal gear of him and his son.

They entered the house where Vanessa was stolen, pulled into the crushing embrace of her former mother and current mother-in-law.

“Sweetie...Why didn’t you call I could have made something special.”

“Well...I kind of wanted to surprise you and...Wait, Call? You mean you knew about the call functions?” said Van.

Olivia smiled, pulling out a small brick of glowing crystal that was housed in a slim case of silvered metal.

“Of course, I even had him give me a little battery so it’d be easier to power the connection for longer conversations and distances.”

Van sighed, musing to herself, figuring that she should have expected her no-nonsense mother to have been able to sort through Edwin’s lack of common sense, to get at key little details like those concerning any important powers or features that came with their new bodies.

After, a bit of quiet sulking, she quickly made a mental note to remind Edwin to get her one of those handheld batteries, just in case she ever needed to call someone while she wasn’t in the ship.

“So….” said Olivia.

“So….” said Van.

“How’s the married life treating you two?” said Olivia. Genuinely curious, unsure how to feel about the fact her two youngest children had ended up getting married first, and to each other.

Pretty sure, that things would be okay since they were both, pretty great kids growing up. Even tempered, with personalities that didn’t clash too often, or too seriously.

“It’s...okay.” said Van. Allowing her mother-in-law to guide them both to one of the small house’s sitting rooms. Where a tea set was apparently already set up, leading to Van suspecting that her mother might well have gotten Edwin to set her up with a tracking screen as well.

Van sat down, and served her mother some tea, and then got some tea for herself as well, taking three extra lumps of sugar to satisfy a hankering for sweet that had been building up on the ride over.

“Hm...that’s good to hear.” said Olivia. Nodding. Happy that the two seemed to be proving more compatible than she’d worried they’d be.

The two sat in silence for a bit, and for once Van found herself hating her new super hearing, because she could now pick up on every creak and groan in the house. The knowledge that they were being quiet enough to hear such things, and that her mother turned mother-in-law could hear it as well, making the awkward silence that much more awkward.

“He’s been doing pretty good for himself in the sect…” said Vanessa. Saying anything, because for some reason, even though she’d come with a thousand things that she’d wanted to talk about, right at that second she could of any.

“Oh, that’s good.” said Oliva. Smiling softly as she took a sip of tea.

“He’s actually ninety-ninth ranked in the inner sect now.” said Van.

“My, that’s actually quite impressive.” said Olivia. Her stately calm dropping for a moment as heard the news. Impressed as a warrior, and proud as the mother of a warrior.

Aware from her own experiences in the world, how high a height ninety-ninth in the inner-sect actually was.

“Well, I can imagine how excited your father will be to hear that….” Olivia. Chuckling.

“Right.” said Van. Joining the other Jotuness’ laughter with her own.

“So….how far have you two gotten with each other?” said Olivia. The question leaving Van choking on her tea.

“*Cough*, *Cough*, What?” said Van, her blue face reddening as it grew flushed, and she grew flustered.

“It’s nothing, dear. I was just wondering when you two are going to give me a grandchild is all. You can’t blame an old woman for being a little anxious, right? After all, none of us are getting any younger.”

Van nearly dropped the delicate porcelain cup that she held, unsure how to respond, and thoroughly thrown.

“I...We...We’re working on it?....No wait... Hold on a second!…” said Van. Remembering yet another of Edwin’s long spiels on what the elements n their bodies were capable of.

“We, Eddy, Wally, Egon, and me, aren’t getting any older and you, you’re actually getting younger!” said Van. Leaping to her feet, and noticing for the first time, that much of the gray in the other woman’s hair, and the wrinkles in her face, had seemed to disappear since she’d seen her mother last.

For her part Olivia just looked down at herself as if startled to find that she did indeed no longer look like she was several decades older than the young woman she’d been sitting with. Appearing as if there was only a handful of years between them.

“Ara...Oh my, looks like it’s true...Even then...I can still look forward to the future, no?” said Olivia. Pressing on as if nothing had happened. Teaching the young wife, the terror that was a mother-in-law.