“The Golden Coin Guild? Weren’t they all killed by those beasts the Red Wolf Pack?”

“I heard the descendants of the original team Alpha members were still alive. Maybe they remade the guild?”

“Do you think those girls are the descendants?”

Kelsi shoved her way through the gossiping crowd and called out, “Alphonse!”

His eyes immediately found hers in the crowd. He hopped down off the platform and the last few people in the way parted for him.

“Where’s Hiro?”

“Suzie went with him and the medics, this way.” Even as Kelsi turned to lead Alphonse away she couldn’t help but let her eyes linger on the white haired person. They returned her stare, giving her a cocky smile and bow. She tore her eyes away and scurried off, Alphonse in tow.

*

The magic in the palms of Hiro’s hands popped and fizzled out. He flopped to the ground and immediately began to wail. His father Gaius, a tall, rail-thin man with long black hair and rimless glasses perched on his nose, sniffed out his outburst in annoyance and crossed his arms. Thin, delicate chains hooked around his ears, holding his glasses on his face. Glittering gems hung from the chains, acting as counterweights for his glasses and looking like diamond earrings dangling from his ears and glinting in the soft, warm sunlight.

He sighed, “you can’t cry everytime you fail a spell, Hiro.”

Having heard the wails, Rex came out of the house to see Hiro crying on the ground and Gaius standing over him with arms crossed and lips pursed.

“Hey! Are you making my son cry?!” He called out, his big, braided, fiery red beard and bushy mustache hiding his smile.

Gaius rolled his eyes and corrected, “our son. And I didn’t make him cry, he just started crying...”

Rex picked Hiro up and let the boy sniffle into his shoulder. Rex was a slightly shorter but much burlier man, with broad shoulders, big, soft pectorals, and strong arms that Hiro loved to throw himself into and be enveloped by; safe, protected.

Even with his face buried in Rex’s shoulder, Hiro still heard Gaius’ voice, “you shouldn’t coddle him so much or he’ll never get over this crying phase.”

Hearing those words, Hiro pulled his face out of his papa’s shoulder and pouted at his dad, his eyes big and watery and his bottom lip quivering. Rex quickly deployed his baby blue puppy-dog eyes as well.

Up against both his husband and his son, Gaius almost folded. Almost. He rolled his eyes again, “yes, yes I’m a heartless, villainous father, denying my son the affections of his other father.” Gaius turned his back to them and took a few steps away and cried out in a voice full of mock hurt. “I should do the right thing and free my child from these cruel magic lessons!”

“Wait! Dad, no!” Hiro blinked his tears away and wiggled out of Rex’s arms. Gaius slowed his steps to allow Hiro to easily wrap his arms around Gaius’s legs, “I’m sorry, Dad! I won’t cry anymore so please keep teaching me magic!”

Gaius smiled down at HIro and brushed the boy’s wavy black hair away from his face. “You’ll never learn magic if you let failure defeat you like that. Save your tears for when you are truly hurt or suffering, whether outside or inside and we’ll both come running when you cry.”

*

Hiro opened his eyes, a few tears sliding down the sides of his face.

“Oh, thank fuck.” He heard Suzie’s familiar voice say. He turned to look at her but before he could get a read on her facial expressions she pounced on him, half lifting him out of the bed he was laying on as she hugged him. “You big, dumb idiot. What were you thinking?!”

Hiro found himself tearing up a bit and he hugged her back, even though the sharp edges of her armor bit into his skin, “I’m sorry.... Where’s Alphonse and Kelsi?”

Suzie gave him one last squeeze and then let him go. “I had Kelsi wait for Alphonse at the teleportation platform.”

Suddenly, Kelsi burst through the door, breathing hard, her hand around Alphonse’s wrist. Upon seeing Hiro awake and sitting up, Alphonse visibly relaxed. On the other hand, Kelsi was as panicked as ever. “Suzie!” she tripped over her own feet and collapsed into Suzie.

Suzie caught her, “Kelsi, what-?”

“That white-haired person lied to us! They entered the dungeon!”