Ranvir leaned back yawning loudly. Both he and Kirs was surprised when he staggered not finding the wall where he’d been expecting it to be.

“Are you okay?” She asked from where she kneeling next to her new circle.

They’d moved the dormancy ritual and the old pocket-space to the other side of the room, hidden under one of Ranvir’s old shirts he couldn’t fit anymore. While the ability to bring an effect into dormancy was a great step forwards, Kirs’ research needed her to remake the ritual circle each time. Or at least, if she wanted to work on something other than a pocket-space.

Ranvir, who was trying to make a space stable enough for entry, benefited from being able to re-examine the same space over and over again. He could also make it bigger, though that wasn’t really necessary if he was being realistic. The five meter radius of his Veil was more than enough for him at the moment.

As he grew stronger it should expand to twice that which would be too much, really. Though, he did wonder if the area of their control was part of why stronger tethered made such stable spaces, maybe he was losing context from not having enough reach. Then again, even freshly advanced Cloaks had five times the reach of a peak Veil. Ranvir wasn’t going to close that gap just yet.

He shook his head, as Kirs’ hand touched his shoulder, “Ranvir? Did you hear me?”

“Wha— yes,” he shook his head, “I’m just very tired today,” he tried to stifle another yawn but failed.

“Is it Frija?” her understanding tone almost made Ranvir chuckle. Kirs was an only child, just like him. She couldn’t understand.

“Yeah, she’s been a real pain this week,” he grunted shoving off the wall. He swayed slightly before steadying. “She’s been crying every night and I can’t get her to fall asleep.”

“What have you tried?”

Ranvir yawned again examining Kirs’ ritual. She needed to be proficient in drawing her own circles, so he was only helping her with feedback. “The usual, I’ve kept to her right side which usually works. I’ve held her on her tummy, she’s had her sucker, she’s had her favorite ragged shirt to hold, nothing works.”

“Ranvir…” Kirs said slowly, “That’s obviously not going to work?” she hesitated a moment before continuing, “What do you mean keep to her right side?”

“Sometimes, if she’s sleepy she’ll start crying if I approach or stand to her left,” Ranvir held up a hand, “Yes, that includes if she manages to turn herself onto her tummy and I’m now suddenly on her left side.”

Kirs looked at him like he’d gone mad, “You need more sleep.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” he replied. “But I’m also not wrong.”

Kirs narrowed her eyes in skepticism, but Ranvir just gestured to her ritual, “The circle is uneven, the energy isn’t going to flow properly.”

Kirs sniffed, turning her attention towards the circles. It took her a moment, squinting as she looked closer, “Ingra take it.”

Ranvir watched her continue a muttered litany of curses as she first made the circle much worse, then realizing her mistake, completely erased it and started over. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was testing this time, but it wasn’t a space ritual.

She’d managed to scrounge together a couple prismhearts. The two shards, the size of Ranvir’s thumbnail, were suspended in liquid and a slight blue glow emanated from them. That glow was only visible in the dark, however, as any light they touched were split causing them to shed rainbows from which they earned their name.

He wasn’t sure what kind of warp effect she was trying to cause, but he was curious to see it once she was ready.

Ranvir blinked his eyes shut, lids sticking for a moment before forcing them open again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m just tired,” Ranvir replied with a smile, “Besides, I’m not trying any big changes tonight, just a quick jaunt.”

“You were talking nonsense,” Kirs made it sound like she was reminding him of something obvious.

Rolling his eyes, Ranvir waved for her to follow him.

“What about—“

“It can wait,” he said rounding the corner to the living/sleeping room. He’d tried to explain to Hjara that it was a meditation room, but she seemed to believe he was exercising some ancient power of legend ready bring the world into the image of the Goddesses. Which couldn’t be farther from the truth. If anything he was making it in the image of himself.

Ranvir chuckled to himself, earning a side-eye glance from Kirs. He gestured for her to approach Frija, “Go ahead.”

Frija was lying on her tummy on a blanket set out on the table playing with Esmund. As she heard his voice she turned towards them with a giggle, and slapping the soft blanket with her left hand.

Immediately, all of Ranvir’s annoyance at her over the past week melted away, his soul soothed by the sight of his smiling daughter. Tension melted both from his mind and his body, at seeing her smile and laugh as she played with Uncle Esmund, even if she drooled enough to make her entire chin glisten.

Ranvir smiled in reply, waving at her, “Hey little Hearthfire,” he called from the threshold as Kirs approached. As the scholar got closer, Frija started tracking her, even if she struggled a little with turning her body to follow.

The change was immediate as Kirs’ approach took her from in front of Frija to her left side. First, the smile faded and her eyes got bigger. Then, in quick succession, she started squinting and rapidly opening and closing her mouth before letting out the demon. She howled like it was nighttime and Ranvir was trying to get a few minutes of sleep. All his evaporated annoyance came right back.

Kirs’ look of stunned confusion made both Esmund and Ranvir laugh maniacally, her hair swinging wildly as she looked from face to face.

“It must be something…” She started to say, as she walked over to stand next to Esmund, to the right of Frija. The baby’s change in demeanor was immediate if not instantaneous. Already, her body language seemed a lot calmer, even though she hadn’t quite stopped crying yet. “…else,” Kirs sentence trailed off along with Frija’s cries.

“Welcome to taking care of babies and toddlers,” Es said with a chortle, “Where the rules are made up and the laws are mandatory.”

Kirs sighed raising her hands slightly before letting them fall, “It makes no sense.”

Esmund got up and grabbed her hands, he’d grown slightly since the beginning of the year, he was just barely taller than Kirs. “Clearheart, she’s a baby. Her mind is still developing, it’s not always going to make sense.”

Ranvir focused in on Frija, feeling awkward in the sudden intimate moment between the two of them. They continued talking, standing close, but he mostly ignored them and made sure Frija wasn’t falling off the table. She looked at him sticking her tongue while grabbing the carpet with both hands.

It only took a moment more before the couple broke apart, Kirs returning to the meditation room. She made sure to stay on the right side of Frija, in case she triggered another episode.

“That is weird, Ranvir,” Kirs said stepping through the door way, “I don’t care what either of you say, what anyone says.”

“It wasn’t always like that,” Ranvir replied striding over to where the dormancy circle lay, “Really, it’s kinda rare that she’s as reactive as she’s been today.”

“You don’t think there’s something wrong with her?” Kirs asked.

The words sent a flush of cold black dread fear swarming into his stomach, “No,” he reassured her as much as himself, “there’s nothing wrong with her. Her reaction isn’t dependent on anything physical, it happens whether she’s on her stomach or her back, whether you’re standing close enough that she has to turn her head or far enough away that she doesn’t. She just a little sensitive, right now.”

“You’re being really patient with her.”

Ranvir grinned, “I’m too tired to be angry,” then he awakened the pocket space and started opening the aperture, “Are we ready?”

“Is my ritual ready?”

Ranvir glanced over her shoulder before nodding, “Ready for proper detailing.”

She sighed, “This would be so much easier if I didn’t have to do it.”

“Wouldn’t it always? Es, you ready?” Ranvir didn’t look, but he sensed the warp tethered gesturing that he was an asshole, which in this scenario also meant that he was, in fact, ready.

Ranvir took in a deep breath.

“Good luck,” Kirs said and he stepped into the pocket-space.