Harlan invited Selen and Wulrun, the children from the orphanage would show up later.

His parents and sisters invited some friends of theirs, he had no idea who these people were even though they remembered him as a toddler.

A few pigs were roasting over an open fire, pots of vegetables boiled before being tossed in oil and thrown into an oven to roast.

They picked up a few casks of ale for the grown ups and for everyone else they had water and fruit juices.

Harlan was just sitting for now, unsure of his next move.

“Harlan, play with me.”

Wulrun pulled him from his seat and towards the trees.

“Climbing?”

“Yes! Selen doesn’t let me climb the ones at the academy. Your trees are bigger.”

Harlan called out to Ava and Zella, Amber wasn’t really the tree climbing type.

In just a handful of seconds each of them could reach the top, though they did set a few ground rules.

Harlan and Wulrun couldn’t use magic, Zella wasn’t allowed to use hover.

They sat on top of the trees and just looked at the few.

Though he didn’t intend to do so, these golem trees were growing far faster than the others around them, giving an unobstructed view, but also clearly marking the trees which had magical powers.

Harlan thought about asking Sepul about other magical things, many planets could develop a mana flow, but these were very hard to cultivate and care for. The people who did know how to do these things kept them hidden for the sake of business or cultivation of power.

“Ho-how are we getting down?”

“What? Didn’t think about that one?”

“I’m scared of heights.”

“I’ll carry you down.”

Wulrun closed his eyes and gripped onto Harlan while he just cast a stronger hover to account for the extra weight.

“We’re on the ground. Why don’t you go tell Kass what you did, I’m sure he would love to hear about you climbing the tree.” Harlan breathlessly said.

“Ok, then we can play more?”

“Of course.”

Wulrun walked off to go see Kass, Harlan had told him before that they would probably get along.

Meanwhile Harlan waved over to Ava.

“What the-”

“Shh. Help me inside, get Adina. Don’t make a scene.”

Harlan had deep impressions on his armor from Wulrun’s tight hold on him. He could feel through a scan that a few of his ribs were cracked, but one was broken off and needed to be reset; blood was starting to flow from lacerations caused by his armor digging into his skin and Harlan was just focusing on it not getting on his clothes.

Ava did as asked but it was clear that she was worried, causing Autumn to tag along.

They set him down on the couch and he had his armor take itself off.

“Adina, I need you to piece my ribs back together, I’m going to hold it in place.”

“Wait, how are you going to-.”

Harlan morphed his weapon into a claw, cutting open his chest so he could use telekinesis to pull the bone fragments back in place for her.

“Do it.”

Harlan was keeping the blood from pouring out and ruining his furniture while his sisters looked on in horror.

It took only a few minutes to heal him, though he needed another 10 while the magic finished, otherwise he risked more damage.

“Harlan, what the fu-”

“Language.”

“Shut the fuck up Autumn. What happened? Did Wulrun do this? That little-”

“It was an accident. He didn’t want to be what he is, he is a child who doesn’t know his own strength.

When I make you stronger, you are going to need some time, maybe weeks, maybe months, to get used to the changes. Otherwise, this happens.”

“...”

“You seem upset.”

“Is he stronger than you?”

“Don’t become a werewolf.”

“No, I mean, could you really do that to your armor?”

“Yeah, if I wrapped my arms around you then your armor would make spikes to try to keep me off, but if you stopped it from doing that like I did, I could snap your spine.”

“ How do you avoid killing everyone when you shake hands. Or when they piss you off and you hit them. You’d kill people if you acted like me. I hit Breken as a joke all the time, I could’ve-”

“Yeah, that’s why I don’t act like you. I’d explain the whole thing, but I think it would be better if you asked Selen about the world of glass. I should get back out there, I still need to get a new shirt.”

“No, stop, before that. I need to ask you something. Do you really think of bandits and other people that you don’t like as less than human? Is that how you justify killing them so easily.”

“They steal and rape and pillage and kill because they can, they aren’t less than human, they are less than animals. If they want to follow might makes right, they don’t get to complain, because I am right. And, no, not people that I don’t like. There are a lot of reasons I don’t like people. But I wouldn’t kill them for disagreeing with me.”

She had a look of disappointment, anger, pity.

“How can you believe that? People are people, I understand judging them, but you can’t just wholesale slaughter then like what I saw you do.”

“I’ve met creatures that aren’t human or beastkin, but they are people. I give them as much respect as they deserve, and after that, they earn or lose it based on what they do. You capture them so they can be put down like the animals they are, you defend yourself from them just like you would a Warg.

Don’t pretend it is different just because I’m the one carrying out their sentencing.”

Ava put up her helmet and left. The Harlan she wanted and believed that she knew was dead, and she didn’t know if she wanted to be around the one who replaced him.

Autumn went after her.

Harlan went to his room to change his clothes.

If she couldn’t handle reality, then that was her fault, he shouldn’t need to be the one to coddle her.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Harlan. How are you feeling?”

“Fine. My wounds were not so severe that I need to be looked after, I just needed some help since I didn’t want to make a mess when I did it.”

“I mean about Ava.”

“I could’ve lied to her, but there isn’t any point. I’m not going to let her pretend that she is right and I am wrong for what we both do just because she tells herself nice words and lets other people cut off their heads. She’ll come around eventually. I know she will, she’s strong.”

“Autumn told me something interesting, she said I should just ask you about it. Do you love people?

Is that why you are so hard on them?”

Harlan froze, unsure of how to handle the question.

Much like when asked if he really wanted the people to have freedom of transport, he wanted to say what he thought he believed, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak those words.

“I wish that they were better.”

“That’s the only answer I needed. Do you want help picking a shirt? I think something black would look better on you. Probably casual, this isn’t a noble party after all.”

Harlan went with a loose short sleeved button up.

“Let me button it.”

“Does it really matter?”

“I heard that boys like it when girls button them up and check their outfits.”

“Do you want me to show you what I actually look like?”

“I think you look great in anything, so I don’t need to see you.”

Harlan felt gears and machines not yet used creek into life with grinding and stutters.

He kissed her cheek.

“Was that good?”

“I think it was.”

She giggled and the pair stepped back outside.

Wulrun rushed him, dragging him away to play more and not questioning why he had to change his shirt.

They played tag, though at the speeds which they moved and the aerial acrobatics on display as they dodged and attacked one another, it could be confused for something else entirely.

Eventually the children from the orphanage arrived. Now numbering 31, from ages 6 to 17.

The youngest of them were tugging on the dress of the Fox Sisters who came along while others were getting piggy back rides from the Elk Brothers.

Outside of Harlan getting glares from his mother and from Selen, things went well.

There were no issues of running out of food or drink, those that drank did so with enough moderation that they would not cause problems. Though part of that was fear, it lessened, but nearly everyone who was invited that Harlan didn’t already know personally was afraid of him even by the end.

He wouldn’t let that bother him however, he was trying to be understanding.

As the sun started to dip down some of them started to leave, the younger children were worn out, Wulrun was curled up near the fire pit.

A group of the older children didn’t want to leave just yet and were trying to convince the golems that they should not only stay, but that they should be allowed to drink.

Harlan pulled out his amulet and sent a message to the golems.

“Let those who want to stay do so, let them drink, but keep a close eye on them.”

Amulets would translate soulspeak back and forth as sound, but Harlan could directly speak through the crossroads to the golems. The main reason why they worked by translation instead of directly through soulspeak was that it avoided needing to teach people.

Anyone from a child to an old man could pick one up and just use it with only the barest of magical knowledge.

As they drank the golems would remove them one at a time, each of them would end up hungover and would make the choice on their own if they ever wanted to drink again or not. Though alcohol was banned at the orphanage itself, so they would need to leave if they really wanted it.

Selen held the sleeping Wulrun in her hands and sat next to Harlan.

He explained everything that happened and she seemed content with his answer. She felt that she knew him well enough to not worry about how he viewed others. It was terrible, but fair in her eyes.

Everyone else had left and now it was just time to clean up, yet there was an uninvited guest at the gates.

Harlan entered combat form and stepped to the door flanked by golems.

“State your name and business.”

He felt them flinch, unaware of how he knew they were there without them saying a word or knocking.

Harlan already knew who was outside, but he wanted to know why before he let them in.

“Cupr- No, my father has cast me out, I’ve lost my title and my name. Do you have a Reinoan communicator that my love could use? If they hear of this, they will surely send someone to bring the two of us to her home.”

“Does she have a blood crystal?”

“She has everything she needs other than the box.”

“Please come in then.”

Harlan opened the door for them, finding the pair disheveled, his father had taken even the clothes off of his back, leaving him only a burlap shirt and pants to his lack of a name. Sherah fared better, though since they had taken his carriage and lost the right to use it, they had walked roughly 50 miles.

“Would you like to sit, eat and drink before you talk?”

“Yes, thank you very much Sir Fomoria.”

Sherah bowed.

Isha led them to a table.

Autumn stepped towards him.

“How do you know Cuprum?”

“He was in Borden, kidnappers went after the pair. They smashed me through a wall with a windblast.”

“Kidnappers in a city had their magic?”

“No, the lovers did. Granted, I was covered in blood and they were running away, so it’s no wonder they didn’t recognize me in my armor.”

“Well, he isn’t exactly the brightest torch in the night. Who is the girl then? I don’t recognize her, so she isn’t a local noble.”

“She’s from Reino, name is Sherah.”

Autumn raised her eyebrow.

“So, that’s why he went to you.”

“I was recovering from their attack and couldn’t really get away, so I heard the whole story from them.

They think that me and Adina are going to change how people look at relationships between nations.”

“You make it sound like they had you hostage.”

“Pretty close to it. I’m just glad they didn’t go into details about what they were doing when the kidnappers went after them.”

“I’m sure you’ll understand their point of view eventually.”

They made more smalltalk, Autumn finding his first ‘kiss’ hilarious.

Eventually he sent them to his room and showed them to the box.

An hour passed before they came out, Sherah in tears and the man who was once called Cuprum comforting her.

“I assume you need a place to stay for the night. It is getting late, you can talk about what happened in the morning if you want.”

She barely choked out a thank you and Harlan showed them to a guest room, giving some explanations of how things worked.

Adina pulled him to her cabin.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to be together.”

“Did you drink anything?”

She giggled.

“Alright, you need to sleep before you say or do anything bad. The golems should’ve stopped you.”

“I had the older children from the orphanage bring me a cup. Harlan, come with me.”

She pulled him into the bedroom and laid down, gesturing that he should sit there with her.

“...”

She didn’t get the chance to do anything embarrassing before the sleeping air went into effect.

There was nothing good that would come from him sitting down.

The next morning Harlan went to wake the lovers up, they were going to miss breakfast and he could feel that their minds were sleeping still.

After banging on the door failed to wake them he just opened the door, the locks all opened to him without a key.

Unsurprising to him, they were both in a state of undress.

He splashed them with cold water and told them to get ready to eat, tossing them spare clothes.

Harlan had to entirely pull his mental sense inwardly. Seeing their movement when they should’ve been showering was ruining his meal and everyone else thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard when he explained why he was grimacing, Dawn was even laughing at his misery.

Ava and Adina were the only ones who didn’t find it funny.

They walked out, not an ounce of shame on their faces. They didn’t even look too upset about last night either.

“Good morning. I hope you rested well, however little you actually did.”

“The beds were very nice, and having a shower where we didn’t need to refill the bucket. It was almost like being back at the academy.”

“Thank you, I do try to make sure my home is comfortable. Would you like to talk about what happened last night?”

The pair sighed, held each others hands, looked into their eyes, coming to a silent agreement.

“You were right. My family… might not have seen my relationship with Rummy as purely as I had hoped.

We were both rejected by our loved ones, but we still have the one we love.”

Harlan really wasn’t interested in too much more of this.

“So you have no money, no home, he doesn’t even have a name. Neither country wants you.

How can I help?”

“You said we could work for you, soldiers or farmers. I hoped that the offer was true.”

“How do you feel about children?”

“We were hoping for 6, maybe 7 at least.”

“How about 30?”

“Excuse me?”

“I took in orphans, more on the way I hope. I have golems, but I don’t really want to babysit them. You still have a year left at the academy?”

“No, we actually graduated.”

“How about my offer then, I’ll give you a home, work, food. You don’t even need to watch the children, I want you to record how my golems react to the children, ensuring that they are doing well. Meanwhile, I can see about her being given citizenship. I assume that you are willing to renounce Reino?”

“I want to keep my faith, but the country, I can leave that behind.”

“Good, I imagine that people will come here to ask questions. Answer them honestly and there should be no issues. But…”

Harlan loudly tapped the table in a rhythm, like the ticking of a clock.

“If you intend to cause trouble, or drag me down in any way. I am willing to make you both disappear. And, while I am at the threatening part of this conversation. If I hear that you two are being improper around the children, I will throw you both into the woods with nothing but the clothes on your backs.

I will say as I did before, I want this to work out, but I am being realistic.”

They didn’t hesitate to accept, trusting Harlan and each other.

That did put a smile on his face, perhaps they were better instead of just human.

Everyone else around the table was unsure by the odd couple and their odd deal, it was like looking into a distorted mirror of Harlan and Adina.