Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Knave never cried. Especially not in front of the children.

But Lyney couldn't help noticing the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes. He knew not to believe her when she blamed it on her allergies.

Father didn't have allergies.

"Father, please don't lie to me," Lyney begged as he sat her on the armchair beside her bed.

"I told you, it's just allergies, Lyney," she repeated, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"You didn't have those until two minutes ago."

For the first time in a long time, she refused to meet his gaze.

"Father?.." Lyney called, becoming more nervous by the second. "You called me in here for a reason. I'd like to hear it."

"I'm sick, Lyney."

"Sick?" Lyney's eyes narrowed in confusion. The way she'd been acting… It had appeared to be something more serious than this. "You're just sick? Even if it's something as bad as the flu, it's nothing to cry over. You'll be okay." He put his right hand on her shoulder, his painted nails shimmering in the light. She set her tissue aside, taking a deep breath.

"No, Lyney. I… I'm going to die."

The hand on Father's shoulder clenched, the young man's eyes blown wide. This was just a joke, right? Was Father making an attempt at comedy?

But it was no use convincing himself. A joke like this was too cruel, even for her.

The Knave was going to die.

"What's wrong? You— you can fix it, right? Someone can fix it. I-I'll use all the profits from my magic shows to get you seen by the best doctors in Teyvat!"

She took his other hand in both of hers—another thing she never did.

"No, Lyney. No. It's a cancerous tumor in my lungs. They can't treat it."

He let go of her shoulder, and grabbed her left hand with both of his, trying to get her to stand up. He tugged and tugged, even though her long nails scratched his skin. Of course it was treatable!

"That— that's bullshit!" Lyney exclaimed. Father didn't even seem to care that he swore, normally, he'd have been in trouble before the word finished leaving his mouth…

She really was sick.

"Come on, Father, I'm gonna take you to a doctor right now. I'll take you to ten doctors! I'll find someone who will treat it! You're not gonna die!"

The Knave didn't budge, looking up at her son with an expression he'd never before seen her make. Sorrow.

"I already tried. I tried three months ago when they found the tumor. It's terminal, Lyney. I have about six months left."

With her free hand, she grasped his arm and pulled him into a hug. A hug. She never hugged. Lyney rested his chin over her shoulder, wrapping his arms tight around his father.

Father's body was warm, in part due to the Pyro Vision she possessed, but also due to the Balemoon Bloodfire that coursed through her veins, a curse passed on through generations. It had turned the skin of her hands a charcoal black, slowly spreading up her arms throughout her years.

As if she knew where his thoughts had wandered, Father asked, "Do you remember what the blackening on my arms is from?"

He nodded against her shoulder. "From your curse."

She let go. He held her tighter.

"It started at my fingertips, when I was very young… If I recall correctly, the last time I showed you, it was at my elbows, yes?"

"Yes, Father."

She gently touched his shoulder. "Would you like to see where it's at now?"

For a moment, Lyney hesitated. He continued to hug his Father tightly, unsure if he even wanted to see… But Lyney did let go of her, and stepped back to allow her some space to move.

With steady hands, she slipped her coat off to reveal her undershirt. Lyney had not seen her without long sleeves for a long while. Unlike before, where it had stopped at her elbows, the corrosion had almost fully corrupted her arms, barely a bit of skin left unmarred. The black spread from her elbows to her biceps, gradually fading until there was nothing left but her normal, pale shoulders.

"It progressed faster internally. It has infiltrated my lungs, weakening and mutating them, allowing the cancer to form." She put her coat back on.

"I… I'm… You should've told us sooner. Is— Is there anything you want me to do?" Lyney asked, hugging her again.

"I would like you not to tell the other children. Especially not Lynette and Freminet. I will tell them myself someday. But not for a while."

"What?! Why not? I— I can't keep something this big from them!" His nails dug into her back, her thick coat protecting her from being hurt by them.

"I don't want them to worry."

Lyney's grip tightened. "Then why tell me?"

"You're the next in line for my seat as The Knave. I would like you to begin preparing yourself to take on that role when I die."

"That— I can't do that. We've discussed this. I'm a magician, not a Harbinger."

"You can be both," she reassured.

"I don't wanna be both." He trembled. "The sixth seat has been empty for centuries. Can't— can't this seat just stay empty too?"

The Knave hesitated, as if to convince Lyney she was thinking about her answer.

"No. Someone has to direct the House of the Hearth." She sighed. "If you don't take it, which Harbinger will?"

One name came to Lyney's mind. Dottore. His stomach twisted at the mere thought of that nasty excuse for a person getting his hands on his siblings.

"Fine. I'll take your place, Father."

Lyney skipped dinner that night. His stomach had twisted itself into knots, and his heart had sat in his throat ever since he'd left Father's room. Father had just turned twenty-eight, nine days ago, to be exact, and she would die before she ever turned twenty-nine.

Although they were not blood-related, she was still Lyney's Father. Sure, she was nowhere near old enough to be his parent, but she had taken him in as her own over a decade ago.

The woman who'd given him a home and taught him everything she knew was dying.

And yet, Lyney still couldn't shed a single tear.

As usual, his twin sister waltzed into his room without knocking. "Lyney!" she used her scolding voice, feline ears pressed to her head. "You didn't come downstairs during dinner."

He glanced up at her from his spot in front of his dressing table, no trace of his usual smile anywhere to be found.

"Hmph. Look at you, you look so tired," she chided, cat tail bristling in annoyance. "How are you supposed to keep your energy if you don't eat dinner?"

He shrugged, tucking his shaking hands in his lap. Lyney caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror—Lynette was right, he did look tired. His lilac eyes were wide, feline pupils narrowed to tiny anxious slits.

"I'm— I'm not that hungry," he rasped. His throat felt dry, he hadn't had a single sip of water in hours. Lyney blinked his eyes a few times, attempting to return them to a normal state.

Lynette moved closer and touched his shoulder, her dark tail brushing against his leg. "Come on, you should come downstairs anyway. Fremi's been waiting for you."

At the mention of their little brother, Lyney stood up. He didn't want to make Freminet worry.

"Alright then. I'll go." He walked past his twin, heading towards the door. "If you touch any of my stuff, I swear, I'm gonna—"

She snorted. "Ew, your stuff smells like stinky teenager."

"Hey! I'm twenty-two!" Lyney retorted as he ran down the hallway.

Lyney raced down three flights of stairs, and the moment he saw his little brother in the family room, he tackled the boy to the couch.

"Ah! Lyney!" Freminet yelped as Lyney began tickling him.

The boy's uncontrollable laughter echoed throughout the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, making Lyney forget about what he'd even been so worried about in the first place.

Until Father walked down the stairs.

Had she always clung that tightly to the handrail? As if she were scared she would stumble?

Freminet panted as his brother's tickling stopped, letting out small giggles as he calmed down.

"My gods, Lyney," he laughed. "You scared me!"

Lyney didn't respond, nor even look at his brother, his smile faltering as he met Father's eyes. The delicate skin around them had turned red and puffy.

She'd been crying.

Freminet sat up, tugging at Lyney's sleeve. "Lyney?"

He looked down at the blond boy.

"Sorry," Lyney apologized. "I didn't realize… that you wanted more tickles!" He lunged for the boy again, attacking his stomach with both of his hands.

Freminet shrieked with laughter, hands flailing around as his brother showed him no mercy.

Not until they were both out of breath.

Freminet sat up again, clutching his stomach, giving soft laughs in between pants.

"Okay, okay, no more, no more, Lyney," he wheezed.

Lyney purred softly at him. It was nice to spend time with his little brother, in fact, it was the perfect distraction from Father's illness.

Until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Lynette cleared her throat. "Ahem."

He didn't look up at her, his grin slipping from his face. "Yes?"

"Go eat something," she urged, poking the back of his head.

"I'm not hungry."

Lynette poked him again. "Eat."

"I'm not hungry," he repeated, his tone slightly sharper.

"Eaaaat." She poked him again.

"I said I'm not hungry!" he snapped, whipping around to face his sister.

She barely even blinked.

But Lyney's heart nearly stopped. He'd just yelled at his sister. In front of his little brother, too. He might as well die right then and there. Thank god the other children were already in bed.

He turned around to look at the younger boy, his heart racing in his chest. 

Freminet stared up at him with wide, icy blue eyes.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to— I didn't mean to yell," his voice cracked.

"You're snappy because you didn't eat," Lynette commented. "I forgive you."

Freminet smiled nervously. "I do too. It's— it's okay, Lyney. You're stressed because you have a show coming up, I understand."

"Ah, y-yeah, right. That. I— I'm a bit stressed."

He was more than a bit stressed, although the upcoming magic show was the least of his worries at the moment. For once, something other than stage fright was consuming him.

Lynette tilted her head a bit, but didn't say anything. Her violet eyes narrowed at him.

"Well, you are gonna go eat now, right?"

Lyney let out a defeated sigh. "I… I will. Fremi, do you have any more of those rice cakes you enjoy so much? I… I think I'll eat one of those."

Freminet nodded, standing up. "Yeah. Do you… want some jam on it? They're pretty bland when they're plain…"

"Sure. Just… just use whatever we have, I'm not picky." Lyney sat down on the spot Freminet had just vacated.

The boy walked into the kitchen.

Lynette sat down next to her twin, on his left side. "You never get this stressed before a show. You didn't sleep well last night, did you?"

"N-no, I woke up at two to use the bathroom and couldn't get back to sleep for a few hours," he improvised.

Lynette sighed. "Go to bed early. Sleep in. I'll let Father know if she asks."

Freminet came back with a rice cake, some sunsettia jam spread on top.

"Here you go." Freminet placed the napkin in Lyney's outstretched hand.

"Thanks, Fremi…" He bit into the rice cake with a loud crunch.

Freminet sat on Lyney's right side, leaning against him.

Lynette scooted closer to her older brother, beginning to undo the braid in the side of his blond hair. She used her fingers to brush any tangles out, ensuring stray hairs didn't fall onto his rice cake.

Surprisingly, the rice cake helped to settle his anxious stomach. His brain hadn't calmed down in the slightest, but at least his body had.

Lyney set his empty napkin down and put his arms around his siblings, pulling them closer to him.

"C'mere, you two," he mumbled, nuzzling into his brother's hair.

They giggled softly, snuggling into him. Lynette even began to purr.

Lyney smiled softly, but didn't laugh with them.

How could he laugh when Father was dying?

Chapter Text

Even though he went to bed early that night, Lyney still didn't get to sleep. He tossed and turned for hours, unable to rest.

His cat, Rosseland, had even crawled out of his magician's hat at one point, and lay on his chest to purr him to sleep. However, she quickly left after a noise made him jump violently, causing the cat to scurry back into Lyney's magic hat. 

Every little creak the house made jolted him from his half-asleep state, having convinced him that Father had fallen and gotten hurt.

Or worse.

Lyney couldn't bear the thought.

The blond man dragged his bare feet down the hallway for the fifth time that night, heading straight to Father's room. He had feline eyes, which allowed him to see well in the dark. His eyes even glowed sometimes, when the light hit them just right.

She's fine, he tried to reassure himself. She was safe and sound in bed the last four times I was here.

Lyney slowly opened Father's bedroom door, peeking into the room. Father lay on her back, muscular arms resting by her sides, and her eyes closed as she slept peacefully.

He stayed quiet, not even taking a breath until he heard Father do the same. He let out a sigh of relief, going to close the door.

"Lyney."

He froze, the door stopping halfway open. She must have seen his eyes. "Y-yes, Father? Need anything? Water? Painkillers? I can get you a cup of t—"

"When I said I was dying, I did not mean tonight. I have six months left, not six minutes."

"Sorry, I— I'll stop coming in here," he mumbled. "I'm just worried."

"You've been in here at least twice already," she mumbled, rolling over to her left side to face away from the door.

Lyney closed her bedroom door, forcing himself to walk all the way back down the hall to his room.

When he got there, as if simply to spite him, the house made another noise.

Crack.

Lyney clenched his fists in irritation. No, no, he couldn't let himself get irritated, because then he'd keep himself awake, which was the last thing he needed right now. He forced his fists to unclench.

He tucked himself into his now-cold bed, trying to take deep breaths and relax his muscles. Rosseland slipped into bed with him, nuzzling her face under his arm.

The blond sighed. "G'night, sweetie."

She meowed at him, as if she were saying "goodnight," too.

Lyney closed his eyes, praying that he'd be able to sleep sooner, rather than later.

"Lyney? Lyney, it's lunchtime, wake up," Lynette shook him. "Come on, I let you sleep through breakfast, but you need to get up and eat now."

"Nnngh… C'mooon, just a few more minutes," Lyney mumbled, turning over in the bed. It had taken him until 3:00am to get to sleep, even with Rosseland next to him.

"Nope, you have to eat. You barely had anything last night, and you already slept through breakfast." Lynette tugged at his arm, pulling him up.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

But somehow, he found himself at the kitchen table anyway, a ham and cheese sandwich on a plate in front of him.

"Eat," Lynette urged. "Father's gonna train us some more, so you better eat up and get your energy back."

Yeah, training... Sparring with late-stage cancer must be painful, Lyney thought, taking a bite of the sandwich. The bread stuck to the walls of his dry mouth and clung to his throat as he swallowed, causing him to choke.

Lynette patted his back as he coughed it up into a napkin. "I put mayonnaise on that," she mumbled.

"It's— it's fine, I just have a dry mouth," he coughed.

Freminet set a bottle in front of him. "You should drink some water..."

Lyney didn't think he'd had anything to drink since last night. "Thanks, Fremi." He uncapped the bottle, tipping some water into his mouth.

Freminet patted his older brother's back. "It's no problem…"

Lyney screwed the lid back on. "I don't know what I'd do without you two."

Lynette smiled. "We don't know what we'd do without you, either." She dropped the smile, and pointed sternly at his sandwich. Now eat."

The Hotel Bouffe d'ete was made of two separate buildings, connected by a bridge on their third floors. The larger building was the residence area, with a kitchen, family room, and bedrooms for the children. The smaller building was for Fatui business, and that was where they were combat training.

"You've gotten weak," Father commented, swinging her polearm in Lyney's direction. "I trained you better than this."

"Nngh… You know I'm ten times better with my bow." Lyney used his own polearm to aim another blow at her side. And another. And another. He tried his best not to hit the wall Father had cornered him against.

Father had insisted that Lyney use a polearm today. He'd used such weapons before, but since he had natural talent when it came to archery, Father trained him in that skill.

Now, she wanted him to practice with other weapons.

She effortlessly blocked every single one of his attacks. "Is that all you've got?" she taunted.

Before Lyney could stop himself, his arms moved, and his polearm swung through the air.

Whack.

Lyney slammed the side of the spearhead into the right side of her ribcage. Upon impact, Father gasped. She stumbled back and dropped her polearm; it clattered to the floor as she clutched her side, gasping for breath.

"It's a cancerous tumor in my lungs. They can't treat it."

He'd hit the tumor.

"Father!" he yelled, dropping his weapon and rushing to her side. "Oh god, I— I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Lynette and Freminet ran over. They stood near them, unsure of what to do. Of course not. They didn't know what Lyney knew.

Father straightened her back, still clutching her side.

"That was… unexpected," she panted, acting as if she weren't in pain. "Good job."

Lyney's panicked expression remained. "But— but I hurt you."

"Yes, that's the point," she remarked dismissively.

"Father?" Lynette called, placing her hands on Father's shoulders. "Do you need to take a break?"

"You should take a break," Lyney urged, pushing her to the bench. "Please sit down. You can watch us spar."

She didn't protest, sitting down like Lyney and Lynette had asked her to. Lyney sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Freminet walked over and grabbed his claymore. "I— I can go next." He adjusted his grip on the large weapon, his Cryo Vision glinting in the sunlight.

Lynette picked up her sword. "I'll go, too. Brother, you should drink some water."

"R-right," Lyney unscrewed the lid of his flask, throwing his head back and gulping down some water.

Father's stoic expression never faltered, but Lyney could see the way she cupped the right side of her ribcage. Her breath came in short wheezes, her eyes fluttered closed, her struggle was clear.

Lyney barely paid attention to his siblings' sparring match. Guilt made his stomach do anxious somersaults inside him. How could he do that? How could he hurt Father?

"F-Father?" he mumbled.

Her eyes snapped open. "Yes, Lyney?"

He held his hands together, looking down at his lap. "I— I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Don't be sorry. I'll be alright."

Lyney sniffled.

Father placed her hand on his back. "I've had injuries that hurt far worse than this. Don't lose sleep over it."

"But… You're dying," he mumbled. "I can at least not make it any more painful."

"Pain is a part of life. It's a part of death, too."

When Lynette and Freminet finished sparring (Lynette won), Father dismissed them. They'd only trained for two hours instead of the usual three.

Hadn't Father done that the last few times? Reduced their training sessions by an hour? She hadn't even been training the kids who didn't have Visions.

Was it because of the cancer?

How had Lyney not noticed? Why had he simply chalked it up to the fact that they were older?

He made his way through the hallways, intent on heading straight to his bedroom.

"Lyney?" Freminet called from somewhere behind him.

"Yes, Fremi?" Lyney stopped heading up the stairs, turning to face his little brother.

Freminet walked up a few stairs to stand beside Lyney. "Is… is something wrong with Father? I haven't seen her act like that before," the boy spoke in a shaky, timid little voice.

Lyney put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She's just—" He paused. "Father's fine." God, he hated lying to his little brother. "She just pulled a muscle, that's all."

Freminet seemed to accept his answer. "Oh. That sucks..."

"Yeah…"

The blond teenager stretched, breathing a relaxed sigh when his back cracked. "If it's just a pulled muscle, she'll get better soon…" He sounded so positive that it was true; it hurt Lyney's heart.

I'm sorry, Fremi, but she's never gonna get better.

Since the children no longer had assignments that day, Lyney went to his bedroom to practice some card tricks that involved his Pyro Vision (accidentally incinerating a whole deck of cards in the process). Then he went downstairs for dinner, still too anxious to eat. Instead of eating, he played with his stew until Chapleau asked if he could eat it, "since Lyney obviously wasn't going to."

After giving up his dinner, Lyney went to his bedroom and stayed up until four due to his anxiety.

Right as he was finally about to fall asleep, he heard (possibly imagined) a loud thud in the middle of the night. He promptly jumped out of bed and rushed to Father's room, accidentally waking her when he slammed open the door.

She scolded him harshly, sent him back to his room, and forbade him from coming to check on her anymore.

Lyney deserved that. Although he was sure the comment about him being "too anxious" was unnecessary, he thought as he fell asleep.

Knock knock knock.

"Lyney, come on, we have to practice," his twin sister called through the bedroom door.

"I don't want to," Lyney mumbled, snuggling into his covers.

"The show is tomorrow," Lynette reminded. 

Tomorrow?!

"I thought it was the day after tomorrow?"

"No, Lyney, it's tomorrow." She opened the door, stepping inside. She was already wearing her costume. "Come on, Lyney, you're the star. You're supposed to know these things— You're still in bed?!"

"Isn't tomorrow the second?" the blond closed his lilac eyes.

"Tomorrow's the third. Today's the second." Lynette sounded irritated. "It's 12 o'clock, Lyney, get up."

"It's what?!" Lyney sat up.

"12-o-clock. And you went to bed without dinner last night, I noticed. Your plate was untouched. Come on, Lyney, you're gonna come downstairs and eat lunch. Or should I say breakfast?"

Lyney had to admit, all the skipped meals had caught up to him. His stomach hurt so badly.

"Y-yeah. I'll come down. Um… Has Father eaten?"

Lynette tilted her head, her feline ears twitching at the unusual question. "Yes… But you haven't."

Lyney groaned softly, sliding out of his warm, comfy bed. "What's for lunch?"

Lynette thought for a moment. "Mac and cheese, but I think Fremi ate the last bit."

"That's good. I'm glad he's eating more," Lyney commented.

Lynette nodded in agreement. "Isn't that the shirt you've been wearing for the past two days?" She gestured to his attire.

He looked down. Sure enough, his poet's shirt was still there. His pants had been thrown across the room the night before—he didn't like to sleep with pants on.

"Oh. I suppose it is."

"Go change into your show clothes," Lynette told him. "I wanna start as soon as possible."

"Yeah, yeah…" Lyney grumbled. He pulled his clothes out of the wardrobe. Lynette turned around so he could change into his performance clothes. Once Lyney was dressed, he sat down at his vanity, turning on the fancy lights. He quickly drew the little teardrop on his cheek, while Lynette braided his hair.

Lyney stood up. "Vision," he motioned to the object on his nightstand. His twin picked it up, and he turned around so she could attach it to the back of his bow.

"Done. Ready?" Lynette asked.

Lyney picked up his top hat. Instead of simply putting it on, he decided to show off. He rolled it down one arm, over his shoulders, to his other hand, before tossing it into the air. He caught it by the rim.

"Rosseland!"

The black cat came scurrying out from under Lyney's bed, climbed onto the vanity, and jumped right into the hat.

Lyney twirled it around, before placing it on his head and turning to face his sister.

"Let's go."

Lyney grabbed a ham sandwich from the kitchen as they left, and he ate as they walked towards the aquabus stop. He slipped a few pieces of ham under the brim of his hat for Rosseland.

An hour later, they arrived at the Opera Epiclese. There were no trials that day, so they could rehearse on site. They began the very moment they got on stage.

First, another assistant came up and took their Visions, which they always did on stage to prove they hadn't sneakily hidden them inside their pockets. It was nearly impossible to forge a Vision.

Then, they could begin the tricks.

For the first time since he found out about Father's cancer, he felt free. Right now, he wasn't a Fatuus, a soon-to-be-Harbinger, or an anxious wreck. He was simply a magician, with nothing to worry about but his tricks.

And nothing would take that away from him.

"Lynette, pick a card!" Lyney pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket, tossing it to his sister.

They always started with basic tricks to warm up, even if they wouldn't be used in the show.

Lynette caught it, spreading the cards through her hands and holding them up, so their imaginary audience could see the cards weren't all the same. (A common trick.)

She shuffled the deck in her hands, then pulled a card from the middle of the stack, holding it up so their audience could see. She then shuffled the deck and passed it back to Lyney.

Now, it seemed impossible for Lyney to find the correct card. After all, the deck had been shuffled! But as magicians do, Lyney had a trick up his sleeve.

With just the right sleight of hand, Lynette had placed the card on top of the deck.

Lyney grabbed the top card, dramatically whipping it out.

"Was your card… the king of diamonds?" he asked with a grin, turning it for the audience to see.

Lynette nodded.

Lyney grinned, putting the cards away as the audience clapped and murmured words of excitement to each other.

Rosseland wiggled excitedly inside Lyney's hat, as if she could hear what was going on inside the man's brain. Sometimes Lyney wondered if she could.

The twins ran through their whole performance twice, not once making a single mistake.

In the end, they both bowed, and the audience applauded, their cheers filling the whole theater.

But when Lyney stepped off the stage, the audience disappeared, and he was reminded they were all imaginary.

Tomorrow, however, they wouldn't be.

And oh, how Lyney loved that thought. Applause was good. It meant the audience still loved him. If the audience loved him, that meant they'd still buy tickets. Ticket sales meant extra money for the House, as Fatui funds only went so far.

Expensive food and clothes, lots of toys for the little ones, repairs for household appliances…

And for any treatments he could convince Father to take.

Father greeted them when they walked in the front door. She rested on a chair she'd moved over to be next to the door, a cup of tea in her hands.

"How was your rehearsal?"

"Good," Lynette answered, walking past her. "Did Fremi go diving?"

"Yes. He said he'll be back after dinner."

Lyney frowned. Freminet tended to go diving late so he could skip dinner.

Lynette sighed. "Well, I'll make sure to save a plate for him. I'll make dinner once I take these off."

"Need some help with the cooking?" Father asked, standing from her chair. "I can—"

Lyney interrupted. "I'll help you, Lynette! Father, you sit down, okay? You need to—" he paused. "…Rest your— your pulled muscle." He placed his hands back on her shoulders, lowering her into the chair.

Lynette had already gotten halfway up the stairs.

Father quirked an eyebrow, whispering, "Is that really what you came up with?"

"It's what I told Freminet yesterday," he mumbled back.

"Well, at least you're consistent," she remarked.

"I didn't have time to think of a good lie, okay?!" he hissed, newfound anger bubbling up inside of him. "Next time you ask me to lie to my siblings for you, come up with one yourself." Lyney turned around, running up the stairs to the fourth floor.

He went into his bedroom, and almost slammed his door behind him… With much restraint, he closed it normally. The last thing he needed was for Father to get upset at him.

Lyney grabbed a makeup wipe from his vanity drawer, and slammed it shut.

Bang!

Father wouldn't hear that.

With the makeup wipe, Lyney aggressively scrubbed the teardrop off his face until he'd rubbed his skin raw. He threw the wipe in his trash can, then slammed his hat onto the vanity. Rosseland jumped out of it with a loud yelp, landed on the floor, and promptly darted under Lyney's bed.

Oops. He forgot she was in there…

"Sorry, Rosseland!" he apologized as he opened his wardrobe. Maybe he'd get some treats for her later.

He took off his costume, putting it away neatly before picking some other clothes to wear. Lyney went downstairs in an old tank top and some sweatpants. He entered the kitchen to find Lynette preparing ingredients, wearing a simple baby blue dress she had once made for herself.

Lynette turned to look at her brother as he walked in. If she noticed the redness on his cheek, she didn't point it out.

"Hello, Lyney."

"Hello, Lynette! What are we making?" Lyney asked as he began to wash his hands.

"Tomates narbonnaise," she answered. Tomatoes stuffed with meat and vegetables—the thought made Lyney's mouth water. Freminet and Estella did not like tomatoes, so they would get a separate dish that only had the meat and vegetables.

"Hmm. Sounds good," Lyney commented, drying his hands.

"You are gonna eat it, right?" Lynette asked.

Lyney laughed. "Are you kidding? After that rehearsal, which was spectacular, by the way, you were awesome—"

"Thank you."

"—I'm starving!"

Lynette gave a very small smile. "Well, I'm sure you'll be satisfied with dinner." She began carving out the insides of a tomato, prepping it like a pumpkin about to be carved for Halloween. "Start working on the meat, please."

The tomates narbonnaise felt like heaven in Lyney's empty stomach. He kept an eye on Father, watching her eat her meal. Thank the gods she was still eating normally.

Once Lyney went upstairs, he went into the bathroom and began to run a bath for himself.

Just focus on getting ready for the performance, he told himself. Getting ready for the performance tomorrow. The performance tomorrow. Don't think about anything else.

But he immediately started thinking about the thing he wasn't supposed to think about.

Six months.

Father had six months.

Why was he even bothering to spend so much time getting ready for his show? He could just have a quick shower, do the quickest makeup possible, sign zero autographs and take zero pictures after the show and just go straight home. He needed to spend as much time as possible with Father before it was too late. After all, if he were to take her place when she was gone, she'd need to teach him everything she knew.

And he wanted to make the most out of his time with her. Because he loved her.

But she wouldn't want him to rush everything for merely a few extra moments together.

"When I said I was dying, I did not mean tonight. I have six months left, not six minutes."

Humming a soft tune to distract himself, Lyney turned off the faucet, then lowered himself into the hot bath water, closing his lilac eyes. He could feel the dirt and sweat leaving his body. His aching spine relaxed, the tension in his neck and shoulders decreased. Across the hallway, Lyney could hear the faint sounds of the other bathtub faucet running. Lynette must have been having a bath, too.

The tired young man felt tempted to close his eyes and just fall asleep in here, but he'd wake up the next morning all cold and pruney and nowhere near ready for the magic show. Unless Lynette found him before that happened, which would be a hundred times more embarrassing.

He rubbed his temples. Come on, Lyney, focus, focus, focus. We can do this.

Once the man finished bathing, he dried himself off, brushed his pearly white teeth and his ashy blond hair, applied rainbow rose-scented lotion to his whole body, put on some silk pajamas, and then went to Lynette's room.

Knock knock knock.

"Lynette! It's me, your big broooootherrrr!"

No response.

Maybe she had already fallen asleep. Maybe she had zoned out and didn't hear him. Or perhaps she was simply ignoring him. Well, no matter, Lyney had other siblings to bother. He'd check if Freminet had arrived home yet!

Lyney walked over to the door with the penguin and fish drawings taped to it. Freminet's creations, though Lyney could spot one of his own, the quality was abysmal compared to Freminet's artworks.

Knock knock knock.

"Fremi? You in there?"

No response. 

Lyney knocked more urgently.

Knock knock knock.

"Freminet?"

Once again, no response.

A twinge of worry shot through the blond's heart. It was getting late. Freminet was normally back home by now… He never stayed out this late.

But, then again, he was probably heading home right now.

Lyney headed downstairs to the living room to wait for his brother. Lynette appeared to have the same idea, as she was putting on a face mask in front of the coffee table instead of in her room. Her hair had been pushed back with a headband, and a thick pink mud mask coated half of her face. A makeup mirror sat on the coffee table, and Lynette sat on the floor in front of it.

"Lyneeeeettteeee!" he exclaimed, throwing himself down onto the couch behind her.

"Hello, brother." Lynette spread the pink mud mask across her forehead with her fingers.

"Is Fremi home?" he asked as if he didn't already know the answer.

"No." She applied a layer to the bridge of her nose.

Lyney sighed. "Figured as much… I— I worry about him when he stays out this late."

"Me too." Lynette wiped her fingers off and screwed the red lid back onto her mud mask container.

Red?! Lynette's was teal.

Lyney sat up, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Hey, that's mine!"

"I ran out."

"Get a new one! Gimmeeeeee!" Lyney lunged for the container.

Lynette held it away from him with her left hand, using her right arm to hold her brother back.

"Nooo! Lyneeeeette!" he whined. "Ugh, if you're not gonna give it back, can you at least put some on my face for me?" he pouted.

"Fine," she playfully rolled her eyes. Lynette lifted herself onto the couch, unscrewed the lid, and then began to apply the mask to Lyney's face.

Lyney changed the topic back to their brother. "He should be home soon, though, right?"

Lynette nodded. "Yes. Now, hold still." She finished applying the mask, then grabbed a kitchen timer, which she set for ten minutes.

"Sweet," Lyney leaned back against the couch. "If he's not back by the time this is done, I'm gonna head out and look for him."

Lynette nodded. "Father's gone to bed early again. She's been doing that for weeks, now."

The young man glanced up at her. "I noticed."

"She's been acting strange lately."

"When does she not act strange?" Lyney remarked, glancing around to make sure Father wasn't hiding in a corner somewhere. "But… I noticed it, too."

"Do you think she's okay?"

Lyney gave a dishonest smile.

"Of course I do."

Lynette smiled. Not even she could see through him.  "That's good."

"Mhmm."

He leaned against her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm so exhausted," Lyney mumbled.

Lynette raised her eyebrows. "I'm surprised. You were asleep for so long."

"I was up late. Couldn't sleep," he yawned.

Lynette frowned. "I'll make you some tea with reishi extract. Chiori recommended it for when I have trouble sleeping."

"Reishi?"

"Inazuman mushrooms." She looked out the window, where the sky grew steadily darker as the sun set. "They're very bitter."

"Oh. Yummy," he remarked sarcastically.

"You only need a few drops to get the full effects, and you can't taste them in a cup of tea." She stood up. "I'll go put the kettle on the stove. I'll make tea for all three of us." Lynette disappeared into the kitchen.

Freminet did not arrive home.

By the time Lynette returned to the living room, the kitchen timer had already gone off, and Lyney had completely wiped off his dried face mask.

"Here's your tea." She set a teacup and saucer on the table in front of him. The faint scent of blueberries wafted from it, and he couldn't smell any hints of the bitter mushrooms.

Lyney nodded. "Thank you." The magician got up, walked away from the living room, and towards the front door. He put his hand on the doorknob. "I'll be back before it cools—"

The door opened, and Lyney barely avoided getting hit in the nose.

His little brother stood on the other side, half-wet and wearing only his diving suit and boots. "Oh. Hi, Lyney." Freminet walked inside, closing the door behind him. He had tucked his helmet under his arm. His half-dry hair covered the left half of his face, unruly strands sticking up above his head.

Lyney hugged him loosely so the seawater didn't soak into his pajamas. "Welcome home, Freminet."

Freminet hugged Lyney back before he pulled away, and set his helmet down on a nearby counter. "Do I smell tea?"

Lyney beamed, his feline fangs showing for a brief moment. "Yeah! Lynette made you a cup. I'll go make you some food."

Freminet's periwinkle blue eyes widened, and he looked away. "Oh, you— you don't have to do that."

"Of course I do. You're my brother, after all."

Lyney walked into the kitchen. He took some bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese, and a slice of ham from the fridge, and made a sandwich. He grabbed the steaming teacup from the counter, bringing it and the sandwich to the living room.

"Here." He set the meal down in front of his little brother.

"Th-thanks." The boy picked up the sandwich and began to eat.

Lynette sipped on her tea. "Lyney. Sit down. Drink."

Lyney stifled a complaint as he sat down next to his brother. He lifted the mug to his lips. The hot tea warmed his throat, settling nicely in his stomach. 

Freminet leaned against him. "You make really good sandwiches… What do you do?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Lyney winked.

"Hehe. You always say that," Freminet laughed through a mouthful of bread. "There's no secret, is there? You just like to say that."

Lyney shrugged. "Maaaybe. Maybe not."

Freminet playfully rolled his ice-blue eyes, taking another bite of his sandwich. "You'll never tell me, will you?"

Lyney grinned. "Never."

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their tea. Freminet drank his tea and ate his sandwich.

Lynette's empty teacup clinked as she finally set it on its saucer. "Alright, boys, I'm going to bed." She stood up, taking the empty cup into the kitchen. "You two should, as well. Especially you, Lyney."

"Alright." Lyney didn't protest. His sister was right.

"I heard you woke up late," Freminet murmured. "Did you have trouble falling asleep last night?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, the training session just exhausted me, that's all. I slept well."

That was a downright lie. He vividly recalled bursting Father's into Father's bedroom at an ungodly hour, wanting to confirm the loud thud had not been her.

Freminet yawned. "I didn't. I woke up at like… four… because someone went running down the hallway…"

Lyney nearly choked on his blueberry tea.

"I heard it too," Lynette commented, side-eyeing her twin. "I assumed they were just hurrying back to bed with a snack they weren't supposed to have..."

"Oh. Yeah, yeah, that must have been it. I slept through it," Lyney lied, gulping down the rest of his tea.

"Of course you did," Lynette sighed. "Now, come on. Bed. Time."

Freminet nodded, getting up to take his dishes to the kitchen sink. The twins followed him to the kitchen, and placed their mugs and saucers beside his.

"I'll wash these," Lyney offered. "You two head up to bed."

"Lyneyyy," his sister groaned.

"I'll only be a few minutes."

Lynette opened her mouth to complain, but Freminet stopped her. "Lynette. Just let him."

Her violet eyes narrowed. "Fine."

Lyney's lips curved into a smile. "Thank you." He kissed her forehead. "Mwah! I'll be on my way to bed before you know it. Goodnight."

"Goodnight…" Lynette replied reluctantly.

"Goodnight," Freminet echoed, taking his sister by the hand before leaving the kitchen with her.

Lyney quickly washed and dried the dishes, before making his way upstairs.

But halfway up, a piece of the carpet lay in just the wrong position. And Lyney just so happened to step right on it, sending himself tumbling back down the stairs.

"GAH!"

Crash!

The young man lay at the bottom of the stairs, panting, clutching his left knee.

"Owww— Ow ow ow— Shit!" he cursed under his breath. That was going to hurt like hell when he stood up.

"Lyney?!" one of his younger sisters called.

He looked up. The two youngest children, Estella and Manet, stood at the top of the stairs.

Lyney stood up, shifting his weight around for a minute to test the waters. Both of his legs felt fine. Nothing to worry about, after all.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Are— are you okay?" Manet asked, a tremble in his little voice.

Lyney waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I'm Fontaine's Great Magician, a little fall won't do anything to me! I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Estella fidgeted with her skirt.

"Absolutely. I'm fine!"

Chapter Text

As it turned out, Lyney was not perfectly fine.

When he woke up, he felt normal. He'd slept soundly through the whole night, likely due to whatever his sister put in his tea. Lyney snuggled a happy, purring Rosseland for a few minutes, before trying to get up, and promptly collapsing to the ground in agony.

"Gah! Oh, dammit!" Lyney cursed.

Tingling pain radiated down the back of his left leg, just like the pain one would get if they hit their elbow wrong.

Rosseland scrambled to hide inside Lyney's hat.

"Sorry, Rosseland!" Lyney hoisted himself up. "Oh, god, that hurts."

He steadied himself, finding that it didn't hurt as much when he stood rather than lying down.

Rosseland meowed, peeking out from her hiding spot.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Lyney reassured, reaching out for some pets.

Rosseland ducked inside the hat again.

"Okay, okay, point taken."

The door opened. "Lyney, you better be awake," his sister called.

"Nope. Still faaaaaast asleep."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "At least I didn't have to wake you today. Come downstairs, it's breakfast time."

Still in his pajamas, he limped down the stairs after Lynette, sitting down at his usual seat at the dining table. Freminet was already seated next to him, head drooping as if he felt unwell.

"Fremi?" Lyney put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You okay?"

He sniffled. "Not really. I have a cough."

Lyney's eyes narrowed. Hadn't his hair been damp when he came home the night before? That meant his head had been underwater without his helmet for at least part of the time he had been out. If not the whole time…

"Freminet… You didn't wear your helmet last night, did you?"

"I did wear it…"

"Did you take it off at all?" Lynette asked. Lyney squeezed Freminet's shoulder, encouraging him to answer.

Freminet sighed loudly as if he were about to confess to a crime. "I… I did for a few minutes… But I'm a Vision bearer, I can breathe Fontainian water!"

"You must have gotten something else into your lungs and irritated them," Lyney sighed. His voice shifted to sternness, while still carrying a hint of concern for the boy. "Freminet Snezhevich, we've talked about this. You have to wear your helmet, your lungs are still recovering from the Primordial seawater," he said each word slowly and carefully like a parent reprimanding their child.

"M'kay…" Freminet coughed. "M'sorry…"

Lyney sighed. Try as he might, he couldn't be mad at his brother. But he was worried.

"Eat some food, then go straight to bed."

"Mhmm…"

"What do you feel like you can eat? I'll make it for you."

Freminet coughed. "Soup? Or broth?.."

Lyney stood up, removing his hand from his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, we have plenty of chicken broth left. I'll make some for you."

Lyney warmed some chicken broth on the stove and added some salt for taste. His leg still hurt, but he could ignore it while he had something to do. He did not add any vegetables or meat, not knowing what Freminet would be comfortable eating.

"Here you go, love," Lyney kissed Freminet's forehead and placed the bowl of broth in front of him. "Is there anything else you want? Meat? Vegetables?"

Freminet shook his head.

"Cereal? An egg? Fruit?" Lyney started throwing ideas at him, in case one of them stuck. "A smoothie? Ice cream?"

Freminet shook his head again. He picked up his spoon so he could eat. "I— I just want this…"

Lyney sighed, rubbing Freminet's back. "Alright, then. Like I said before, once your soup is finished, head straight to bed, okay?"

"Mhm…"

While Freminet ate his soup, Lyney and Lynette sat beside him, soothingly rubbing his back. Lyney thought it was the perfect excuse to avoid eating—not because he wanted to starve himself, but because he felt queasy at the thought of eating anything.

"I think I'm done," Freminet coughed, pushing the bowl away.

Lyney looked into the bowl. A tiny bit of broth remained at the bottom, only a few spoonfuls worth, but Lyney wouldn't make Freminet eat it.

"Alright, Fremi. I'll put this in the sink…" Lyney stood up, taking the bowl with him. "You go upstairs to bed, okay?"

"Okay…" The boy stood up, rubbing his eye.

Lyney kissed his forehead. "Call for me or Lynette if you need anything."

"Mhm…" Freminet coughed again. He turned on his heel and headed towards the stairs.

Lynette sighed. "Poor thing."

Lyney nodded in agreement, before changing the topic. "I should go upstairs and start doing my chores."

If Lynette noticed he hadn't eaten, she did not show it. "That sounds like a good idea."

Lyney went up to the fourth floor with a laundry basket, still ignoring the pain in his leg and back. It was a Tuesday, which meant he was supposed to do the laundry. He changed out of his pajamas, then put his laundry into the basket. He went to Lynette's room and collected her laundry, then went to Freminet's room.

Knock knock knock.

"Hey, Freminet," he called. "Can I come get your laundry?"

Freminet coughed from the other side of the door. "Y-yes." Lyney opened the door, peeking into the bedroom. Freminet lay on top of his covers, holding Pers to his chest.

"Hey, love," Lyney smiled. "Get under the covers so you can sleep."

Freminet shook his head. "Too hot…"

Lyney nodded. "Alright, then." He emptied Freminet's laundry hamper into the basket. "Make sure to drink water, okay?"

"Mhm…" The boy rolled over and curled up into a tighter ball on his blue blankets.

Lyney picked up some stray pieces of laundry from his floor, tossing them all into the basket. He winced every time he bent over, but his brother wasn't looking, so he could get away with it.

Freminet sneezed.

"Aww. Bless you," Lyney said, handing him a tissue from his nightstand.

"Thanks," Freminet coughed, before he wiped his face with the tissue.

Lyney rubbed his back. "Need anything else?"

"Mm-mm."

"Alright." Lyney kissed the back of his blond head. "Rest up, now. I love you."

"Love you too, Lyney…"

Lyney left his brother's bedroom and closed the door, taking the almost-full basket down the hall to Father's bedroom. Last year, Father would be up by now, Lyney realized. When had she started sleeping in? How had he— No, how had everyone thought nothing of it?

"You awake?" he called through Father's bedroom door.

No response.

Lyney opened the door to peek inside. The light from the hallway streamed into the bedroom, illuminating Father's sleeping figure in the bed. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, but she appeared to be asleep. Lyney slipped into the room with the basket, and then pulled her laundry from the hamper.

Lyney accidentally bumped the door with his foot, pushing it farther open. More light flooded the room, hitting Father right in the face. She stirred.

"Mmh…  Lyney?"
"Sorry, Father, just getting your laundry," he whispered, slipping back out of the room.

"Wait," Father called.

Lyney stepped back into the room. "Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Get me a damp washcloth," she murmured. "Please."

He nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back."

"Take your time."

Lyney rushed downstairs with the basket of laundry, wincing internally every time he took a step. His leg tingled painfully with each one. He tossed the clothes into the washing machine, followed them up with some detergent and softener, then started the washer. He grabbed a gray washcloth from the cupboard, wet it in the sink, and then took it upstairs to Father's room.

"Here you go," he said, handing Father the damp cloth.

"Thank you, child," she murmured. She sat up and moved closer to her nightstand, which had some crumpled tissues on it. Lyney moved Father's trash can over, and she pushed the tissues into it. Then she used the washcloth to wipe the area where the tissues were.

Lyney moved her trashcan back to its spot, then turned to leave, when Father suddenly started coughing.

"Father?!" Lyney rushed back to the side of her bed. She quickly lifted the washcloth to her mouth, coughing into it. "O-oh god—"

"I— I'm fine," Father panted, coughing one last time into the cloth before moving it away from her face.

Lyney's stomach dropped. Tiny red drops were seeping into the gray fibers of the washcloth.

"Um… Father?"

"It's normal," she reassured, still breathing heavily.

"That doesn't look normal…"

Father wiped her lips with the washcloth. "It's normal for me."

Lyney wondered momentarily if that's what all the tissues were for. Had she been coughing blood into them all night?

Upon noticing his expression, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not fret. I will be alright."

"I… I know, Father." Lyney sighed, reaching a hand out to take the washcloth from her. "I'll take that if you're done."

She placed the damp cloth in his hand, but only after folding it so the blood would not touch his skin. It didn't matter, Lyney would wash his hands clean anyway.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He nodded. "You're welcome. I— I'll go now. Go eat breakfast soon, okay?"

Father nodded.

Lyney left the room with the dirty washcloth. He went to the bathroom and tossed the cloth into the laundry hamper, then began to scrub his hands clean in the sink.

Maybe the blood would stain the washcloth. Wouldn't someone ask questions if they saw the stains?

Lyney stopped scrubbing his hands, pulled the cold, wet washcloth out of the hamper, and cleaned it in the sink. The blood did not fully come out, but the texture of the fabric hid the stain. If anyone noticed… Lyney would just say he got a cut.

Lyney tossed it back towards the hamper, and winced at the wet splat when it hit the floor instead. He picked it up, dropped it into the hamper, and washed his hands again.

Each wrong move caused his back and leg to hurt with tingling pain.

What a hassle.

Lyney changed into his magician's costume, checked on Freminet—who had fallen asleep—then went downstairs to find Lynette. They had to do another rehearsal before the actual show.

"Nettie?" he called as he sat down in the large armchair by the Hearth. Sitting down helped ease the pain… A bit.

Lynette called back from inside the kitchen. "Lyney? Are you ready for the rehearsal already?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I don't have anything else to do." Unless tearing out his hair or destroying his room counted, because he could most definitely do those. But neither of those things could be considered healthy. At least rehearsing was productive.

Lynette popped out of the kitchen, a bowl of soup in her hands. "Does it have to be now?" Her ear twitched in irritation.

"No, no." He waved his hand. "Whenever you're ready." Lyney stood up, preventing a groan of pain from escaping his mouth. "I'll just get myself a book to read while I wait." He went back upstairs to the fourth floor, and nearly bumped into Father on the way to his bedroom.

"Oh, Lyney," she greeted, stepping out of his way. Father scanned his outfit. "Are you and Lynette about to leave?"

He shook his head. "No, we're going to rehearse in the living room, have lunch, do chores and stuff until late this afternoon, then we'll leave. Lynette is having a snack, so I'm getting something to read while I wait."

Father nodded. "Alright then."

"Do you need anything?" he asked before she left.

"No, child. I'm just going to get some breakfast." She headed towards the stairs, and Lyney made his way to his room.

He grabbed his reading glasses, a book he was supposed to finish ages ago, and returned downstairs. He put his glasses on, sat before the hearth, and began to read his book.

Well, he wasn't only reading… Every few sentences, he would look up from the pages and scan the family room and the dining room, just to make sure everyone was okay. Father sat at the table, a plate of leftovers in front of her. Lynette sat next to her, eating her soup while having a quiet discussion with Father. Lyney swore he heard Freminet's name come up once or twice—perhaps they were discussing his sickness.

Father glanced in Lyney's direction, and their eyes met for a brief moment. Lyney quickly ducked behind the book, his face heating up.

Once Lynette finished eating, she went upstairs to change. She let her older brother know when she came back by poking him in the back of the head.

"Brother," she called.

"Ah, Lynette!" he greeted, snapping his book shut. He took his glasses off and put them in their case. "Ready to practice?"

Lynette nodded.

Some of their younger siblings gathered around, sitting on the couch to watch the twins rehearse. Even Father brought her plate over to the living room so she could cheer her children on.

Lyney grinned at his sister, who nodded in response. Lyney took a deep breath, before he spoke the words that would mark the start of their performance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lyney and Lynette's magic show!"

After the "show", Father retreated to her office to finish some paperwork. The children went to play, and Lynette went upstairs to change out of her costume so she could eat lunch. Lyney stayed downstairs. He sat in the large chair before the hearth to rest his leg; the pain had flared up due to the performance.

Lyney's eyes were closed, and he appeared to be asleep. He might as well have been, because he had no energy to do anything. It was the consequences of his actions, as he had eaten exactly nothing all day.

"Are you alright, Lyney?" Chapleau asked softly, as not to wake him if he was asleep.

"Mmh… Mhm." Lyney opened his eyes just a bit. "I'm just tired."

"Perhaps you should go to bed. Take a nap and rest before your magic show."

Lyney breathed a sigh. "Yeah… Perhaps— Perhaps I should go to bed," he echoed, slouching farther into the chair. He closed his eyes again, letting out a small, tired breath.

Chapleau slid his hand under Lyney's ash blond bangs and rested his palm on his forehead.

Lyney opened his eyes once more and looked up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you didn't get what Freminet's got." The brunet pulled his hand away.

Lyney huffed, and pulled himself to his feet despite the pain. "No, no. Just tired."

Chapleau eyed him up and down. "You sure?"

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. M'sure."

Chapleau narrowed his eyes, looked his elder brother up and down once more as if trying to detect a hint of dishonesty. He sighed, seeming not to catch the lie. "Go to your bed. You need all your energy for the show tonight."

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. I will. Thanks, Chapleau." He made his way to the stairs with his book and his reading glasses, and headed up to his bedroom.

The Hotel Bouffe d'ete was a large building. After all, it had to house and train several children, and they needed all the space. Still, times like these made Lyney wish his bedroom was still on the second floor, not the fourth. Every step he took made the tingling pain in his leg flare up, sending static through his muscles and causing him to let out tiny whimpers of agony. His bedroom was right beside the stairs, thank the gods, just across from the ladder to their lookout tower.

With much effort, Lyney pushed open his bedroom door, and fixed the peeling tape on his magic show poster. From the outside, the building looked like any other, but the children had been allowed to decorate their bedrooms to their heart's content.

He entered his red and pink bedroom, peeled the costume from his skin, and sat down at his dressing table. He breathed a loud sigh of relief. The pain had eased, if only a little bit. Lyney caught a glimpse of his almost naked body in the mirror on his vanity, and spun the chair around to get a better look.

His stockings had left indents in his thighs, his blond hair lay in messy tangles over half of his face, and his eyes had dark circles under them. He certainly looked worse for wear, but that was the least of the flaws about his body. In his costume, you wouldn't see a single one, but Great Magician Lyney was covered in scars.

Lyney had banged and scraped his legs several times, as he had been a rambunctious child, and he'd injured them a few more times in adulthood, but the scars were almost faded by now. Hundreds of white scars, both big and small, decorated his arms and stomach, serving as a permanent reminder of everything he'd been through.

Out of all his body parts, his chest had changed the most throughout his life. His two largest scars ran across the ribs beneath his pectorals, still not fully faded even three years later. Lyney ran his fingertips across one, a grin creeping onto his face.

They're certainly my favorite scars, he thought to himself. But maybe it's weird to have favorite scars.

Lyney couldn't sit in his underwear all afternoon, so he stood up to get dressed. He pulled on the clothes he'd previously been wearing, and curled up on top of his soft blanket.

Lying down helped him feel better. It helped a lot. He would sleep for the rest of the month if he could.

Rosseland climbed onto the bed with him, and curled up beside him.

"Aww, have you forgiven me already?" Lyney laughed. He pulled the black cat close to his chest, snuggling her like a plush toy. She didn't mind, she never did. It was part of the reason the two got along so well.

Rosseland purred and nuzzled against him. She licked his face with her sandpaper tongue, and Lyney giggled.

"Aww, you're so cute," he rubbed her belly. Like his sister, he could purr exactly like a cat, and that he did.

Lyney and Rosseland purred and cuddled, until Lyney let out a yawn he couldn't stifle. Rosseland stopped purring for a moment, and shoved her muzzle into his face, nudging at his cheek.

"Mrrrrow?" she trilled at him.

"Alright, alright," Lyney grumbled, closing his eyes and rolling over. "I'm going to sleep…"

Content, Rosseland settled by his lower back, her warm body a welcome comfort as he tried to sleep. The heat did not ease any of the pain, which only served to make Lyney more agitated.

It tingled, burned in the way his elbow did every time he hit it on a table corner, and not even heat was helping.

Lyney groaned, having deduced what the pain was coming from. This was great, just great.

It was nerve pain. He'd pinched a nerve last night when he fell.

How severe is this? he wondered, heart beginning to race. Is this going to go away soon? Or will it be permanent? How much damage did I even do?

Lyney didn't end up getting to sleep, after all.

Too anxious to stomach food, and in too much pain to sleep, Lyney walked across the third-floor bridge to the other half of the Hotel Bouffes d'ete. He went to Father's office, hoping she could give him something to do to pass the time.

"Father, do you need anything?" he asked. Perhaps he could help with her paperwork, or organize some of her drawers.

"You keep asking that question. No, I do not." Father didn't even look up from her paperwork.

"You sure? Nothing I can do to help?"

"I'm absolutely sure." Father sounded a bit irritated, due to being distracted from her work. "If you can help with anything, I will let you know. Go bother your siblings."

Bother? He was bothering Father?

His heart sank. That was the least helpful thing.

"Oh… Sorry."

He padded out of her office, closed the door tight behind him, and sighed in defeat. Lyney walked back across the connecting bridge, a limp in his step as he headed back up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Freminet's door was closed, but the small clicking noises from inside told him the boy was awake. Perhaps Lyney could help his brother with something. A test of the doorknob informed him it was unlocked, and he opened it to step inside. His little brother hunched over his desk, screwing a panel onto something mechanical.

"Whatchu building?" Lyney sat on the foot of his baby brother's bed, carefully staying back so the boy could work without hindrance.

"Hmm? Oh. Just… Fixing one of Olivier's toys." He held up the toy carriage, giving a slight cough. Upon spotting Lyney's outfit, he asked, "How was your rehearsal?"

"Good. How are you feeling?"

Freminet shrugged, sniffling slightly. "Just woke up from my nap. Figured I'd work while I have the energy."

Lyney hummed. "Not a bad idea… But I suggest you eat something first. Better to work on a full stomach."

Freminet whined. "I dunno. I don't have much of an appetite."

"It'll get your energy up," Lyney encouraged.

Freminet put his screwdriver down.

Clink.

"I… I don't like eating alone," he mumbled.

One of the things Freminet and Lyney had in common was that both boys had suffered through self-inflicted starvation. They had different reasons for such a thing, and Lyney was mostly rid of that bad habit… But Freminet was at an earlier point in his recovery and needed as much support as possible.

Lyney had no appetite… But he needed to eat, too, perhaps some food would help his leg heal.

"I know. I'll eat with you," Lyney reassured. "Want to come downstairs? Or do you want me to bring something up for us?" Lyney hoped the boy would choose the former, so he didn't have to walk too much at once.

"Can you… Can you bring something up?" Freminet spun his chair around to face his brother. "I… I don't feel like going downstairs."

Lyney's smile faltered. "Y-yes, of course. What do you want, love?"

Freminet stared blankly at Lyney. Right, the boy needed questions that weren't so… Open-ended. 

"I apologize, I didn't mean to overwhelm you." Lyney hummed thoughtfully. "Do you want a sandwich or some pasta?"

Freminet answered simply, "Pasta."

Lyney knew just how he liked it. "Well then. Two servings of spaghetti and marinara sauce coming right up." Lyney stood, unable to stifle the pained whine that left him.

Freminet's blue eyes widened, and Lyney grew nervous. If Freminet suspected something was wrong, he might tell Lynette, who would tell Father, and then she would… Would… Well, Lyney didn't know exactly what Father might do.

"Lyney… Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yes, yes," Lyney smiled. "My knee felt weird for a moment, that's all."

Freminet believed him.

Lyney spent only twenty minutes on the spaghetti. He used his Vision to boil the water faster, so he did not have to stand there longer than necessary. The pain seemed to be easing a bit, which was good, but Lyney did not get his hopes up. Pain like that usually came back with a vengeance.

"I've got the spaghetti!" Lyney called through Freminet's bedroom door, knocking with his foot. He carried two plates of spaghetti with marinara sauce, one in each hand. Each had a fork stuck in it, and Lyney held napkins under each one.

Freminet opened the door, wiped his nose with his sleeve, and took one plate from Lyney. "Thanks…"

Lyney sat on Freminet's bed with his own plate. Freminet curled up next to him, but did not start eating. He seemed tired, and Lyney could not blame him.

"Eat up," Lyney encouraged.

Freminet groaned.

"You'll sleep better with a nice full belly." Lyney took a bite of his own pasta to encourage him further.

Freminet whined again, but finally took a bite.

Lyney patted him on the shoulder. "There you go."

Once Freminet swallowed, his expression changed. His eyes went wide and his eyebrows raised, and he promptly began to devour his lunch, much to Lyney's relief.

There's your appetite, he thought, mouth too full to speak. Seeing Freminet so energetic all of a sudden made Lyney's appetite return, but only a bit. Still, Lyney forced himself to finish his plate.

After all, if he were to get through tonight's show, he'd need as much energy as he could muster.

Freminet fell asleep against his brother's shoulder soon after he finished eating. Lyney tucked him in, and then took their plates back to the kitchen to wash them.

The pain had almost completely subsided… For now. Lyney didn't trust that it would last.

But, while he was able, Lyney finished his chores.

He did the laundry, helped little Estella sweep the porch, did laundry again, helped Foltz with his schoolwork, stopped Heloir from using bleach in one of her potions, and finally, did laundry for the fourth time that day. When eleven people lived in one house, they produced a lot of dirty laundry.

Lyney had just moved the final load of laundry into the dryer, when the laundry room door burst open, and an angry Sylvestre stormed in.

"Hey, you missed half of my laundry!" the copper-blond complained, tossing a pile of dirty clothes at him.

Lyney failed to catch it, and all the clothing fell onto the floor. Wincing, Lyney bent down to pick it up.

"I got everything that was in your hamper," Lyney informed the taller boy. "That's all I'm supposed to do. If these were somewhere else—"

"It was just on my chair, and that's right next to the door!" Sylvestre crossed his arms. Lyney didn't know that pile was dirty, and it wasn't his job to clean up his brother's room, anyway. For a nineteen-year-old, Sylvestre was sure acting like he was seven.

Lyney dumped the clothes into the washer. "Well, whoever's on laundry tomorrow can wash these." He did not have the energy to argue with his brother right now, he told himself, despite how immature he was being.

"Wha— tomorrow?!"

Lyney slipped past Sylvestre to leave the room. "I'm not washing just five pieces of clothing. If you want to waste water and detergent to wash them, take it up with Father, not me."

"But—"

Lyney repeated, "Take it up with Father, not me." Lyney hurried to the kitchen to find his sister. If Sylvestre needed the clothes soon, that was on Sylvestre, not Lyney. Lyney was quite sick of dealing with his poor organizational skills. The kid had left his glasses, which he always wore, at home during their week-long trip to Poisson earlier that year.

"Lynette?" Lyney called across the house. They needed to eat dinner early so they could get ready for the show. "Lyneeeettttteeee!"

"She's upstairs," Chapleau informed from the living room couch, where he was reading a book. "Freminet was coughing really badly, so I sent her up to look after him."

Lyney nodded. "I see…" His poor baby brother… Lyney wished he could do more to help him.

"She'll be back soon," Chapleau reassured.

Lyney sighed longingly. He stood in place for a moment, thinking anxiously. With Freminet sick, and Lyney an anxious wreck, Lynette was the only one of the trio who was well.

Lyney prayed that it would last.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder. "Hello, Brother."

Lyney nearly jumped out of his skin. "Lynette!"

She spun him around to face her, acting as if she hadn't just jumpscared him. "Freminet's asleep again. He was coughing a lot and shivering, so I gave him some medicine and blankets. He passed out right after."

Lyney nodded, heart still racing. "I— I'm glad he's resting. Hopefully that cough clears up soon."

Lynette also nodded. "Poor child…" Her ears flattened slightly.

Lyney took her hand, leading her to the kitchen. "He's strong, he'll be alright," Lyney comforted, though he was trying to reassure himself more than his sister.

Lynette agreed. "Yes, of course he is. Perhaps this time he'll learn to keep his helmet on."

"He'd better."

Lynette began to prepare a meal for the two of them, picking out leftovers she thought would still taste good.

Lyney was not hungry, but for Lynette's sake, he'd eat anyway.

Lyney's stomach felt so full that it was a miracle he was even able to fit in his costume. Realistically, he knew he hadn't eaten that much today, only two meals, but it felt like he'd eaten more.

That was simply what happened when you ate without an appetite.

Lyney brushed his teeth, got dressed, did his hair and makeup, and collected various props that had been scattered around his room. Once Rosseland had finished eating, she climbed into Lyney's hat, wriggling excitedly as she settled.

"Hah. You're more prepared for this than I am," Lyney remarked. He put his hat on, steeling himself for the hundreds of eyes that would watch him perform.

Audiences were delightful in imagination, but for real… One would think a famous magician would be used to such a thing by this point in his career.

"Get it together, Lyney," he urged his reflection. "Get. It. Together."

Rosseland shifted inside his hat, purring softly to soothe the magician.

Lyney sighed. "Thanks, sweetheart."

He left his bedroom, forced his shaky feet to carry him down the hall. He passed Lynette's door, and stopped before Freminet's. The poor thing needed as much sleep as possible, but it wouldn't hurt to check on him before he left.

Lyney slowly turned the doorknob, and peeked into his little brother's sea-themed room.

All of Freminet's blankets, plus one or two of Lynette's, had been piled sky-high on his bed. Lyney began to overheat at the mere thought of having such an absurd number of blankets on top of him.

This was more than a cough, Freminet must have been developing a fever.

The boy's Cryo Vision rested on the nightstand, faintly glowing in the dimly lit room. Lyney tiptoed closer; his show boots had been designed to be quiet when he walked, but better safe than sorry.

Click.

Lyney turned the bedside lamp on, and began to pull back layers upon layers of blankets, until his brother's blond hair peeked out from underneath. The boy clutched Pers close to his chest, snoring softly as he slept.

Lyney gently brushed the blond hair out of his brother's face with his gloved hand. The leather was thin, but not thin enough that he could feel Freminet's forehead.

The boy's face scrunched up as he began to stir.

"Nngh… Hm?"

Lyney pulled away, beginning to tug his glove off. "Just checking your temperature. Go back to sleep."

Freminet yawned, rubbing his eyes. "M'sorry I can't go to your show…"

"It's not gonna be any more special than the rest, promise." Lyney placed his hand back on Freminet's forehead. Without a proper thermometer, he couldn't be certain, but he was fairly confident the boy was feverish.

Freminet pouted. "But I—"

"Ah-ah. No buts, Freminet. Go back to sleep." He leaned down to kiss his forehead, using one hand to keep his hat from falling off his head.

Freminet tried to bat him away. "I don't want lipstick on my face!"

Lyney chuckled. "Oh, hush. I'll wipe it off. Mwah!" He kissed Freminet's forehead. With his thumb, he rubbed away the almost non-existent lip print. "Hey, wanna see a magic trick?"

Freminet blinked a few times. "Sure…"

Lyney pulled his glove back on. Freminet's shining eyes were fixed on him. The boy pulled the blankets down enough so Pers could watch, too.

The magician snapped his fingers, and a deck of cards appeared in his left hand. "Pick a card?" He spread the cards out and offered the deck to the boy.

Freminet reached up with pale fingers, taking a card. He glanced at the face, then tucked it back in the deck.

Lyney stacked the cards up. Instead of shuffling them, he pressed the deck between his gloved hands. When he separated his hands, the cards were gone. He reached behind his brother's ear, pulling out a coin.

"Tada! Was this your card?" Lyney smirked, holding up the coin.

Freminet squinted at it. "That's not a card."

Lyney feigned a look of surprise. "Oh, you're right! Hmm…" He closed his fist around the mora.

"Was this your card?"

Lyney tipped his fist palm up, then opened it. A hundred identical cards shot out from god-knows-where, scattering all over the underwater-themed room.

Four of spades.

Freminet's eyes widened. "That was my card."

Lyney snapped his fingers, making all the cards disappear. "Want to see another magic trick?" he grinned.

Freminet coughed again. "Sure…" His little coughs broke Lyney's heart, but he had an idea.

Lyney picked up Freminet's almost empty water bottle, twirling it around in the air for a moment while he took off his hat. He dropped the water bottle inside, swirling the hat around for a moment. He put his hand inside, watching the way Freminet's eyes began to close.

"And… Voila!" he pulled out the now full water bottle, placing it in Freminet's hands. "Drink it all, m'kay?"

"Mhm…"

Lyney put his hat back on, and knelt to kiss Freminet's forehead again. "Goodnight."

"Night…"

Lyney pulled all of Freminet's blankets back over him, tucking the boy back in. "Sleep well. I'll tell you all about the show tomorrow morning."

Freminet was asleep before Lyney left the room.

Downstairs, Lynette ran through her mental checklist aloud. "Bags… Props… Snacks… Aquabus tickets… And Lyney," she turned to her brother, who had just come downstairs.

He forced a smile, ignoring his churning stomach. "I'm ready."

Lynette nodded. "Let's go."

The walk to the aquabus station was painful. The nerve pain was coming back in full force, and Lyney could do nothing but continue walking. He could hear strangers whispering about him and Lynette, though it was probably nothing bad, and he did his best to ignore the sound. He did not have his sister's super-hearing, but it would still be nice to turn his ears off sometimes.

If Lynette noticed something was off, she must have assumed it was his usual stage fright and, therefore, did not mention it. Lyney almost wished she would say something, so he had an excuse to talk about the pain… But that was selfish. She had enough on her plate as it was.

No need for her stupid older brother to add more.

He boarded the aquabus in front of her, sat right beside her, and squeezed her hand for comfort.

She squeezed back, a silent attempt to encourage him.

"You'll be okay," she whispered.

Lyney doubted that. He doubted that the whole way to Erinnyes, he doubted that the whole way to the Opera Epiclese.

Perhaps it was the pain. He would be okay if he hadn't fallen down the stairs last night. Curse his stupid feet…

"We have one hour till curtain," Lynette warned, rushing her brother backstage.

"I know, I know," Lyney purred.

The Opera Epiclese staff greeted the magician twins warmly when they arrived. Lyney put all their bags and his hat down, and began to organize the magic props they'd brought with them. Their larger props were already there, having been transported to the Opera Epiclese earlier in the day.

"Check the props in here," Lynette reminded. "I'll check on the ones that have already been set up."
"Thank you, Lynette. I'll— I'll take care of that."

His sister left the room.

When Lyney approved a prop, the staff would take it to its designated spot and set it up.

Lyney made some small talk with the staff while he worked, trying to keep everyone's spirits up, including his own. "My little brother is sick, so I'll grab him some snacks on the way home." He smiled. "He's been talking about chocolate cake recently, so I'll pick out a nice one for him."

"Your little brother? How old is he?" the brunette assistant, Rosette, asked.

"Almost eighteen." His baby brother was growing up so fast. Wasn't his seventeenth birthday just a week ago?

Lyney's smile faded slightly. Wasn't everything okay just a week ago? Yes, Father was dying, but he had not been aware. He didn't have to stress about the impending tragedy that would soon befall their family.

He also didn't have this horrible pain in his leg just a week ago. That certainly helped nothing.

Lyney winced as his leg burned again. If radio static were a feeling, this was it.

"Sir, are you okay?" Rosette asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, just… Just thinking. Can't believe my brother's almost an adult. I swear he just turned thirteen, haha."

"I think you just turned thirteen," came a feminine voice from behind him.

"Lynette!" Lyney whipped around to face his sister. "Where did you come from?!"

"Over there." She pointed to the stage.

The staff members chuckled at their banter.

Lyney huffed at his sister, and returned to his props. "I'm much more mature than a thirteen-year-old."

"You're right," Lynette hummed. "You're more like… A sixteen-year-old."

"There you go, that's more accurate." Lyney finished checking the magic box. He went through each of the needed cards, counting to make sure the full deck was there. "Can you give Rosseland some treats for me? She's been feeling a bit anxious." All due to Lyney, of course, the cat was worried sick about him.

Rosette picked up Lynette's bag of cat treats and began cooing at Lyney's hat. Rosseland poked her head out, purring and meowing at the woman until she was given her tuna snacks.

Lyney sighed. How he wished his life were as simple as Rosseland's… All she had to do was look cute, which she didn't have to put any effort into, and she got everything she wanted.

"Ten minutes until curtain!" another staff member, Samuel, announced.

Lyney had finished with the props. Now, all he could do was wait.

His leg burned like fire was coursing through his veins, and he was unable to prevent the limp as he hobbled over to the nearest couch. He needed to sit down. It didn't appear that anyone had seen him; all the staff were rushing to their positions, getting into their costumes, finishing the props.

But when Lyney looked up, he met his sister's concerned gaze.

"I'm okay," he reassured. "Just… Just the usual."

Lynette narrowed her eyes, not believing him for a second. She did not say anything, but sat beside him. She held his hand, the evening sunlight shining through the stained glass window to bathe them in a warm glow. Lyney shivered in pain.

"Get me— get me my hat," he asked. "And some water. Please."

Lynette rushed to do just that. Lyney drank as much water as he could stomach, and Lynette put his hat on for him.

"Feeling better?" she asked, after quickly fixing his lipstick.

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. Ah, what would I do without you?"

"Three minutes!"

Lyney stood, holding back his cry of pain. "Let's get on stage. Don't wanna be late for our own performance," he joked.

Lynette hurried after her brother as he rushed to his place. The curtains were still down, and the staff were still finishing their preparations.

The cold air nipped at Lyney's exposed shoulder and legs, his sheer stockings not doing much to warm him. Lynette was in the same position with her tights, and her tail bristled behind her in her agitation. The audience talked excitedly in their seats, the collective murmur of over a hundred voices reaching the magician twins' ears.

Lyney's stomach churned. The tickets had completely sold out, so many people were going to be there, all their eyes on him.

What if he made a mistake?

"Curtain!" a staff member called. Lyney watched from behind the velvet curtains as the lights dimmed. The spotlight loudly clicked on.

"Cue," Lynette whispered.

Lyney took a deep breath, and stepped forward. Every step was torture, the tingling, burning pain gnawing at his left leg with each movement. He winced in pain as he walked onto the stage. But he had to hide it. He'd be fine. Perfectly fine.

He'd just grit his teeth and bear it.

"Welcome, one and all, to Lyney and Lynette's magic show!"

Lyney had done it. He had gotten through a whole show without making a major mistake, without limping, without making a pained noise; he didn't show any signs of pain at all.

"This has been Lyney and Lynette's magic show! Thank you."

Lyney held his hat in his right hand, put his right leg behind the left one, and bowed. Just that simple act sent him into agony, but he was a good actor.

The audience cheered, applauded loudly, and Lynette curtsied beside him.

Lyney wanted to cry.

The moment he could, he collected his Vision and collapsed onto a couch backstage, doing his best not to writhe in pain. It burned, it burned so bad, it felt like whatever nerve he'd injured was trying to eat the rest of his body out of revenge.

What if they had to amputate his leg because he'd ignored the pain for so long? That would be awful. How could he live a normal life with only one leg? Let alone become a Fatui Harbinger or continue performing magic…

No, that was ridiculous. His leg would be fine, he thought, trying to soothe his anxious mind. 

"Lyney, are you alright?" Lynette called.

"Fine!" Lyney answered too quickly. He sat up, straightening his clothes. "Perfectly fine."

She narrowed her eyes. Lynette knew him well, almost too well at times. She'd caught him in yet another lie.

"Hm. We'll discuss this at home. Come on," she pulled a brown paper package out of her bag, and handed it to her brother. "Eat this, you'll get some strength back."

Lyney unwrapped the paper, glanced at the crackers inside, and handed them back. "Not hungry. I-I just want to get home."

Lynette did not attempt to mask her concern, but she nodded. "Of course, Brother. Let's go home."

Lyney almost cried from the pain multiple times on their walk to the aquabus station. He almost fell asleep slumped against his sister's shoulder on the ride to the Court of Fontaine. Then on the walk home, he almost cried several times more.

It was a miracle he didn't collapse the second he walked through the front door.

Lynette cornered him in the living room before he could go upstairs. "Talk. Now. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, just—just tired!" Lyney argued. He attempted to walk to the stairs, desperate to lie in his bed, but to his dismay, he limped. And Lynette saw.

"Lyney," Lynette called, using her scolding voice. "You're limping."

"Nuh-uh."

"You were doing that backstage, too." She crossed her arms. "Did you hurt your leg?"

Lyney shrugged. "It's not that bad." The pain had eased during the aquabus ride, but it was still bad.

"It is bad if you're still limping." She sighed. "I'll get a heating pad, let's see if it helps."

"It's nerve pain, it won't help," he protested. If a heating pad helped, he could easily have used his Vision, anyway.

"Nerve pain?" Lynette's eyes widened. "Show me where."

After Lyney put his hat down and let Rosseland out, Lynette consulted an anatomy textbook, and Lyney pointed at every tingly spot.

"You pinched your sciatic nerve," she groaned. "You have two. They start here," she touched the small of his back. "And they go all the way down the back of each leg, ending in your feet."

"Oh. Is that really bad?" Like, permanent damage bad?

Lynette's ears swiveled around. "I dunno. I'll ask Fat—"

Lyney interrupted. "No!"

Lynette narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Father might be able to help." She stood up.

"No, no, no, Father doesn't need to get involved—"

"I don't need to get involved with what?"

Lyney froze, looking up at Father. "Oh, h-hi there, Father! When did you get here? It's noooothing, Lynette is just overreacting—"

"Lyney pinched a nerve in his back."

Lyney glared at her. "Lynette! It's not even that bad!"

"Let me see," Father reached a blackened hand out to him.

Lyney hesitated, but gave in.

Father positioned him face down on the couch, while Lynette showed her the page in the book about the sciatic nerve. Father knelt beside him, nodding along to Lynette's explanation. Her firm hands were surprisingly gentle as they massaged the painful area on her son's back, trying to find exactly where the pain was coming from.

By now, most of the children and cats had gathered around, curious about what had happened.

"Chapleau?" Father called out for the young man. "Get Freminet."

"Wha— why?!" Lyney questioned. "He's sick, leave him be."

Father answered simply, "I need some ice."

"No!" Lyney said as sternly as he could.

"Yes." Father's tone sent shivers down Lyney's spine. Though she knelt on the ground, she was just as intimidating as when she stood. She made it clear there was no room for argument.

Chapleau went upstairs. Lyney tried not to worry. He wasn't so important that Freminet's well-being had to be sacrificed for him… Hopefully, the boy could get back to sleep just fine.

Chapleau came back downstairs a few minutes later, a very tired-looking Freminet behind him. He looked as if he might just fall asleep standing up. The boy clutched his Vision in one hand, and Pers in the other. He stumbled as he stepped off the stairs—Chapleau caught him, thank the gods, but Lyney nearly had a heart attack.

Father used both hands to pin her son down and stop him from jumping off the couch. She then attempted to disguise a cough by clearing her throat.

"Oh god," Lyney murmured under his breath. His whole family had problems…

Father gestured for Freminet to come to her with her left hand, her right hand still massaging Lyney's back.

She murmured some instructions to him, and he left for the kitchen. Freminet came back a minute later, and handed Father a Cryo chunk wrapped in a towel.

"Here—" he coughed, "Here you go."

Lyney looked up at him. The poor boy looked terrible. His messy hair covered half of his face, his eyes were red and puffy. His nose had been rubbed raw like he'd used one too many tissues on it. He breathed heavy like he'd just run a marathon.

"Fremi…" Lyney called out, reaching for his baby brother's hand. "C'mere. You feeling okay?" Lyney winced as Father placed the ice on his back, just below his bow. Cryo was cold, but Freminet's skin was incredibly warm. The fever hadn't broken yet, it seemed.

"You're hurt," Freminet mumbled.

Lyney squeezed his warm hand. "I know, I know I am, it doesn't matter—"

Lynette cut him off, "It does matter. You performed like this, and didn't say a word to me. It's dangerous."

Lyney rolled his eyes. "You're overreacting."

Lynette hissed through gritted teeth. "You're underreacting."

"Stop, now. Both of you," Father chided. "What's done is done. Let's fix it." She gently massaged the ice into his back. "Freminet, go back to bed now. Thank you."

Freminet nodded, turning around and heading towards the stairs. He looked so tired, as if he would pass out any moment… Lyney just hoped he'd make it to his bed, seeing as Lyney couldn't get up to take him.

"How did this happen?" Father asked Lyney.

Lyney sighed. "I think it was when I fell down the stairs last night."

"You fell down the stairs?!" about four voices said in unison.

"Yeah, he did, he tripped on the air," Estella giggled.

Lyney glared at her. "I did not. I tripped on the stupid carpet, for your information." He kept the frustration out of his voice, choosing to sound playful instead. There was no need to be hostile towards a seven-year-old.

Estella giggled again.

Father sighed. "Alright. Children, leave. Let's give your brother some privacy."

The rest of the children quickly left, Chapleau murmured a "Feel better soon" to Lyney as he departed. Lynette stayed by his side, holding his hand.

For several minutes, Father knelt beside him and kept the ice pressed into his back, until it melted. The water soaked through the towel and Lyney's costume. Lyney hissed as the water directly touched his skin. Father pulled the ice away, replaced it with her hand, and used a gentle Pyro heat to dry his clothes.

"Done," she murmured. "Lynette, take care of this." Father placed the wet Cryo-towel in her daughter's hand.

Lynette nodded. "Will Lyney be okay?"

"Of course he will. It's just a pinched nerve."

Lyney would never admit it aloud, but he felt immensely relieved at Father's words. The way he instantly relaxed made his feelings quite obvious. No amputation would be necessary, after all.

Father touched his back again. "Lyney."

"Y-yes, Father?"

She stood and pulled him into a sitting position. "It's time you got to bed. Massages and ice may soothe the pain, but the only cure for injuries like this is to rest."

Lyney nodded, staring at the floor.

Lynette put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take him to bed, Father."

Father put her hand on top of Lynette's. "No, Lynette. I'll take him."

Lyney snorted, quite offended. "I'm a grown man, I can take myself to bed!"

His father and sister exchanged a look. Lynette sighed. Father shook her head.

"Brother, you need to rest," Lynette argued. "I don't trust you to go straight to bed and not start doing something else."

Father nodded. "Which is why I will escort him to his bedroom."

Lyney didn't need someone else with him, but "escort" sounded much better than "take", so he gave in.

Thankfully, Father did not carry him, but she walked beside him the whole time. Lynette trailed anxiously behind them, ears flat against her blonde head. Rosseland followed her, black tail down low as she padded after the group.

"Go to bed, Lynette," Father said once they got to Lyney's bedroom. "I'll tuck him in."

Lynette hesitated. "Lyney, do you need me to stay?"

Lyney's hesitation matched hers. "I… I'll be okay alone." He would have liked for her to stay, but he didn't need it.

His twin sister nodded, giving him a tiny smile. She turned around and went into her bedroom, just next to his. If he did need her, he could call her name, and her powerful ears would easily catch his voice. That made him feel a little better.

Lyney went into his bedroom, too, Father and Rosseland followed right behind him. Father closed his door, then began to cough into her elbow. Perhaps she'd been holding back coughs the whole time she had been downstairs.

Lyney handed her a tissue. She wiped her face with it, and murmured a thanks as she put it into the trash can.

The young man suddenly became hyper-aware of how his room looked. It wasn't that much of a mess, but a few stray articles of clothing lay scattered across his floor. He almost bent over to pick them up, but Father put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I will do that. Change your clothes, and get into your bed."

Lyney huffed, but did not complain. He felt a bit embarrassed changing in front of his Father, but he had nothing to hide, and he knew she would avert her gaze. He pulled his magic costume off for the second time that day, and put it away in his wardrobe, where it would stay for at least a week. Perhaps two.

Father had turned around, focusing instead on scratching Rosseland behind the ears.

Lyney, who was now just in his underwear, pulled on a pajama shirt that did not cover his bottom. It was meant to be worn with pants, but Lyney refused to sleep with pants on. The most he could handle was a pair of shorts, and that was only if there were other people near.

Lyney limped over to his bed, then crawled under his covers. He lay on his right side, practically melting into the soft mattress. He had overworked himself to the point of exhaustion, and it had caught up with him. Rosseland hopped onto his mattress, curling up beside his pillow.

Now that Lyney was in his bed, Father kept a watchful eye on him while she picked up his laundry. Her stern glances kept Lyney from getting up, but it wasn't like he wanted to, anyway. She put the laundry into the hamper, then walked to his bedside.

"You are officially on bed rest for the next few days." Father tucked the covers in around him. "You need to rest until you heal. And before you make a smart comment—no, I am not forbidding you from using the bathroom."

"Hehe. You know me too well," Lyney chuckled. How did Father know he was about to say that? He nestled into his blankets with a sigh. "I'm sorry for being an inconvenience."

"An inconvenience?" Father narrowed her eyes.

"You have bigger issues to worry about," he mumbled, gesturing vaguely at her chest to refer to the cancer. "You don't need to worry about me and my stupid back."

"I'm your father," she reminded. The rest did not need to be said aloud. "It's my job to worry about you and your stupid back." Well… Father wouldn't have said it exactly like that.

"Sorry, Father."

"It's alright." She stroked Rosseland's black fur.

"I'm gonna get bored being stuck in here," Lyney complained.

Father glanced around the room. "I suppose I should provide you with some new books." Her eyes landed on her son's bookshelf, where some of the books had worn spines from being read so many times. "I assume you've read everything in here."

"I'd appreciate some new ones…" Lyney sighed.

Father left the room. Based on the distant sound of her heels clicking, Lyney deduced she was heading to her room. Was she going to lend him some of her books? How exciting! Father had good taste in literature.

When Father returned, she had a small stack of books with her. She placed them down on his nightstand, then turned to leave.

Lyney sat up to examine them. The pile had five books in it, all of them with a title that made it clear they were fiction… Except for the bottom one. It was thicker than the rest, and it looked like Father had accidentally taken it when she grabbed the other books.

Lyney pulled it out, and read the title aloud. "Living (And Dying) With Terminal Cancer."

Father froze in his doorway. "What did you say?" She turned around to look at him, eyes uncharacteristically wide.

Lyney held up the book. "You brought this with the rest."

Father quickly took it back from him. "I-I apologize, that's not the book I meant to grab." She sounded embarrassed, and the slight pink on her cheeks only proved that. Lyney was even more curious now. A cancer patient would naturally want to learn more about their condition, what was there to hide?

"No, no, it's okay," Lyney reassured. "I want to read that one. It looks interesting. Unless you're still reading it?" Lyney gave her an out. He didn't see a bookmark, but he wouldn't bring that up.

Curious as he was, if Father was that embarrassed about something… Maybe it was better if he didn't know.

Father sighed, and reluctantly handed the book over. "I finished it long ago. You may read it if you're so… curious…"

Lyney hummed. "Well, I want to understand what you're going through."

"I appreciate the…" Father searched for a word. "The compassion."

Lyney smiled.

"Now," Father walked towards the door again. "Go to sleep. The sooner you rest, the sooner you heal."

"Yeah. I— I know. Goodnight, Father."

She nodded. "Goodnight." As she left, she flipped the light switch by the door, turning his overhead light off.

The moment she left, Lyney leaned over to his nightstand, and turned his lamp on.

Click.

Exhaustion momentarily forgotten, Lyney flipped through the heavy book, desperate to see what Father was so embarrassed about…

There it was.

In the section titled "How and When to Tell Your Loved Ones," Father had underlined one sentence in red pen.

Father never annotated her books.

Make it clear you will not recover.

Lyney slowly closed the book. Yeah. Father had made it quite clear.

"I'm sick, Lyney."

"Sick?" Lyney's eyes narrowed in confusion. The way she'd been acting… It had appeared to be something more serious than this. "You're just sick? Even if it's something as bad as the flu, it's nothing to cry over. You'll be okay." He put his right hand on her shoulder. She set her tissue aside, taking a deep breath.

"No, Lyney. I… I'm going to die."

"It's a cancerous tumor in my lungs. They can't treat it."

"Mrrrp?" Rosseland trilled at Lyney, nudging his elbow with her nose.

He shook his head, attempting to ground himself. "I— I know, Rosseland. I should get to sleep." Lyney set the book on top of the other books Father had brought, and turned his lamp off.

Click.

Lyney tucked himself back under the covers, eyes wide as he stared into the darkness.

Had Father not known what to tell him? Is that why she didn't tell him until months after her diagnosis?

And now Lyney was expected to keep it a secret until Father knew what to tell the other children.

Lyney buried his face in Rosseland's fur. If only he hadn't fallen… He'd made his family worry, and his terminally ill father had to do extra work. And on top of that, he was now confined to his bed for the next few days.

On the bright side, he had a new book to read, one that would give him much insight into Father's condition… But next time he got hurt, he'd have to hide it better.

Chapter Text

"That concludes Fontainian news for September 12th. Moving on to international news, Sumeru's annual Sabzeruz Festival, which happens on October 27th—"

Click.

Lynette turned off the radio on her brother's nightstand.

Lyney groaned, snapping his book closed. "I was listening to that!"

"And reading a book at the same time? Yeah, right." His twin rolled her eyes.

"Background noise." He opened his book again. "Turn that back on, will you?"

Lynette sighed. "No. What are you reading, anyway?"

Lyney tried to hide "Living (And Dying) With Terminal Cancer" under his pillow. He'd started reading it while he was bedridden due to his back injury, but even after he recovered, he continued to read whenever he had a free moment, desperate to understand Father's symptoms. Lynette snatched the book from him before he could hide it.

"Lynette, nooo!"

"What's this?" Lynette mumbled. She turned it over, examining the front with narrowed eyes. "Why are you reading a book about terminal cancer?"

Lyney attempted to snatch the book back from her. "It— it looked interesting!"

Lyney expected her to be suspicious, ask questions, but she didn't do anything of the sort. Lynette just shrugged, before handing the book back to him.

The secret was safe—for now. Lyney needed to be more careful.

"I told you to get a hobby… I suppose cancer research is good. It contributes to society."

"Pfft. I— I have plenty of hobbies." Lyney flipped through his book, trying to find his place again. He was near the end, in the section about the last few weeks of a terminal cancer patient's life.

Lynette rolled her eyes. "Other than practicing magic tricks and playing card games, I mean."

"I read books. And listen to the radio. At the same time." He slid from his bed, moving to the desk to turn the radio back on.

"Not right now, you don't." Lynette crossed her arms. "Father needs us in her office."

Lyney paused, finger right above the power button. "Right now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Right now."

Lyney tossed the book back onto his bed. "Shoulda started with that… Let's not leave Father waiting." He grabbed his Vision from the nightstand, shoved it into the pocket of his shorts, and followed his sister out of his room.

The twins walked down the hall, down the stairs to the third floor, and across the connecting bridge, their steps nearly in sync as they headed to Father's office. Lyney assumed this was a mission assignment. Hopefully, he didn't have to go too far from home… His leg felt better, but he didn't feel ready to leave the city.

Lyney mentally shook himself. That was a stupid thought to have, as a child of the House of the Hearth, he was lucky he wasn't stationed halfway across Teyvat the moment he became an adult. As famous Fontainian magicians, Lyney and Lynette were most useful at home.

Though if Father needed them somewhere else, a world tour was always an option.

"Lyney, Lynette," Father greeted when the twins entered her office. She was seated behind her desk, a manila folder in front of her.

Just as Lyney suspected, this was a Fatui mission.

"Father," Lyney greeted with a respectful bow, hiding his concern for the woman deep in his chest. Lynette did the same movement beside him.

This was not a time for the informality expected of family members—they were here to receive orders from the Knave, not to visit their father. However, the Knave wished them to use her parental title of "Father" either way.

"As I'm sure you're aware, the two of you have been invited to perform at an event," Father started.

The twins nodded. Yes, they had been invited to perform a magic show at a fancy banquet, hosted by a rich nobleman and his wife, Monsieur and Madame Truffaud. It was a last-minute invite, but the twins were free that night and accepted. If Lyney recalled correctly, they sat in the front row at the magic show nine days ago.

"Yes, Father. In two days." Lyney adjusted his posture, standing straight.

With two fingers, Father moved the folder across the table. "As these records show, Horace Truffaud owes a large sum of money to the Fatui."

Lyney picked up the folder and opened it. He thumbed through the bank statements. Sure enough, this man owed millions. Twenty-five years ago, he took a loan from the Fatui's Northland Bank for his law firm, and failed to repay it.

"While the two of you are at the party, I want you to find something we can use to blackmail him."

"Won't he be suspicious?" Lynette asked. "Our affiliation to the Fatui was made public a long time ago. Surely he won't allow us to slip away."

Lyney nodded in agreement. "In fact, why would he invite us at all?"

"Social standing, I presume," Father theorized, meeting her son's eyes. "Even with your affiliations, you are viewed in quite a positive light. Inviting Fontaine's best magicians to his banquet"—Lyney didn't miss the subtle praise—"will gain him more reputation."

Lynette's tail bristled.

"As for how you will get the necessary information," Father met her daughter's violet gaze. "You two are magicians. A magician's best skill is distraction. Use it wisely."

The magician twins nodded.

"Thank you, Father," Lyney gave a respectful bow.

Lynette nodded again, echoing her twin's bow. "Yes. Thank you, Father."

Father nodded. "You may go. I believe the two of you have other work to do?"

"Yes. We just got the payment from the Opera Epiclese." Lyney shook his hands around, something Father never disallowed, given it was not disruptive. She did it too, sometimes, when she thought her children weren't paying attention.

Father nodded. "Well. You should see to that sometime today, then. I believe we have debts to be paid."

Lynette confirmed with a nod.

Father stood up. "Lyney, Lynette, you two are dismissed."

The two of them bowed again. Lynette said goodbye and turned to leave, while her twin brother did not.

Lynette stopped in the doorway. "Lyney? Are you coming?"

"I'll be out in a minute," he replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Lynette sighed, but left the room anyway, closing the door behind her. The second she was gone, Father sat back down with a heavy sigh, a pained expression briefly crossing her face.

"How are you feeling, Father?" Lyney's voice softened.

She sighed. "I… I will tell you the truth, child. I don't feel my best today."

Lyney nodded. "What's bothering you?"

"My throat. The— the coughing has irritated it." She reached up to rub her neck, as if that would soothe the pain.

Lyney padded around the desk to stand beside her. "I'm sorry," he murmured in sympathy. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Father sighed. "No. I would need a healer to soothe the pain in my throat. I know how to heal my own battle wounds… but a sore throat is beyond me."

Lyney nodded. He could, to an extent, mend his own injuries. He couldn't heal sickness… But a sore throat from coughing counted as a wound, right?

Lyney had an idea. He just hoped Father wouldn't scold him for it.

He moved Father's hair and placed a hand on the back of her neck, summoned his Pyro, and closed his eyes to concentrate as hard as he could. If he lost control for even a second, he could hurt her even worse.

"Child?" Father rasped, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Shh," Lyney shushed her. "I don't wanna burn you."

Father understood what he was attempting to do and fell quiet with no objections.

Lyney's hand warmed with elemental energy, which he did his best to channel into the right spots. His fingers tingled, and Father's breathing quickened, which caused him to think he was doing something wrong… Until Father relaxed, slumping against the back of her chair as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lyney pulled his hand away, shaking it to regain feeling in his fingertips. "Any better?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," she murmured as she rubbed her neck. "It feels like… like I just drank a warm cup of tea."

Lyney's heart soared with relief; Father was feeling better because of him! "That's good," he tried to mask his excess excitement.

Father nodded, relief present on her face. "Thank you. You may go now, you have a mission to prepare for, after all."

Lyney wished to stay with Father for longer, but he nodded anyway. His eyelids felt… heavy.

"Take the folder with you," Father reminded. "You'll need that information."

Lyney quickly picked it up. "R-right." He turned on his heel and made his way to the door, a slight stagger in his walk that Father took no notice of. Lyney closed the door behind him, and hurried across the hotel to get to his bedroom.

The young man dropped the folder onto his desk and collapsed onto his bed. He lay on his stomach, chest heaving from exertion. Lyney didn't usually get this exhausted when healing himself. Clearly, whatever technique he had used to heal Father's sore throat was wrong. He grabbed his Vision from his pocket, holding it to his forehead instead like he expected it to cure him, too.

Of course it didn't. He had no elemental energy left. It would be some time before he could heal anything else.

Rosseland hopped onto his bed with a soft "mrrrrow!" and nuzzled his cheek.

"Hi, sweetie…" he mumbled a greeting. Lyney patted her loudly on her chubby flank, messing up the black fur she'd likely been grooming all day.

Rosseland purred as she licked his cheek. Her fiery orange eyes shone in the sunlight, her pupils narrowing to tiny slits to block the light.

"Wanna nap?" Lyney offered the cat, rolling onto his side to give her more room to lie beside him. He patted the mattress beside him, and Rosseland promptly curled up in that spot. Her body warmed the blankets, and her purr was as soft as a mother's lullaby. Lyney pulled an extra blanket over himself, closing his lilac eyes.

Finally, he could sleep—

His bedroom door opened.

"Lyney?" his twin sister called.

Lyney sat up, blinking sleep from his eyes as Rosseland scurried under his bed. "Mm?"

Lynette held out some papers. "We just got the check from the Opera Epiclese." She looked her brother up and down. "But we can do the money stuff later, if you need to rest."

Lyney slid out of his bed. "No, no, let's get it done now. Better sooner than later." Though Lyney really wanted to sleep, he could put it off a bit longer.

The twins sat down on Lyney's bed, a clipboard, pencils, and several papers spread out between them.

After the Opera Epiclese and their staff were paid, Lyney and Lynette would count each mora of profit they made, then split it up. This was the boring part of being a magician, Lyney thought, but at least it was bearable with his sister to help him.

Lyney wrote everything down in neat curly letters. Lynette's handwriting was not as neat, but she made up for that with her math skills, which were superior to Lyney's.

The Opera Epiclese always took half of the money. "Half of one million, twenty-six hundred thousand is… sixty-three hundred thousand," Lynette calculated in her head, looking at the check to prove she was right.

Lyney wrote that down on his paper, slightly envious that his sister didn't need a calculator to divide by two.

630,000

"Minus a hundred thousand," Lynette instructed.

They paid one hundred thousand mora to reserve stage time at the Opera Epiclese. That amount would be saved to cover the cost of the following reservation.

530,000

The two of them breezed through the remaining calculations, having received the same paycheck from their last show.

Magic shows (40%) – 212,000

House of the Hearth (30%) – 159,000

Spending money (10%) – 53,000

Spending money (10%) – 53,000

Forty percent went to their magic show expenses, which included props, new costumes, and various other items that went into their performances. Thirty percent went to the House, and that money would pay for cat food and toys, appliances, gear for missions… Fatui funds only went so far, after all, and any extra mora they could spare went a long way. There were ten human mouths in that house to feed, eleven whenever Father was home, and that did not come cheap.

The twins each got ten percent to use for whatever they liked. They usually saved most of it, though Lyney knew exactly what he'd spend his paycheck on…

That left 53,000 mora, which was usually divided evenly among the rest of the children for pocket money. This time, however, there were other things that needed to be taken care of. Several machines had broken down over the past month, more than they had planned for. They still owed twenty thousand mora to the shop that had sold them the replacement parts… Lyney would take care of that when he went out that afternoon. He was so tired, he'd need to take a nap first…

"Lyney! Lyneyyy!"

Lyney blinked the sleepiness from his eyes. "H-huh? Yes, Lynette?"

"You zoned out," Lynette informed.

Lyney stared down at his paper. "Oh. I apologize. Where were we?"

"Thirty-three thousand mora is left for the children's pocket money," Lynette tapped her pen on his paper.

"Mhm. Right, right."

30,000 33,000

Oops, Lyney wrote it wrong the first time… Lynette didn't point it out, sensing his weariness, and quickly finished the last calculations.

"That's four thousand, one hundred and twenty-five mora for everyone."

Lyney nodded. "Got it…"

Lyney and Lynette liked to spoil their younger siblings, even the useless older ones who didn't have real jobs yet. (They always teased Chapleau and Sylvestre for being unemployed. Everyone involved thought it was funny, so no harm done.)

"We need to go to the bank soon." Lynette slid off her brother's bed, taking the papers and clipboards with her. "But, if you need some rest, I can go alone."

The thought of Lynette going alone, especially so soon after a show, made Lyney a bit uneasy. Her feline traits made her easy to identify; her fame did not help in the slightest. If something happened to her out there while Lyney was asleep at home…

Lyney would never forgive himself.

"Lyneyyy," his sister used her scolding voice, crossing her arms as she spoke to him like he were a child. "I know that look. You're getting caught up in your thoughts again."

Lyney protested, "No! I'm nooottt!"

She continued, paying no mind to him, "I'll be okay by myself, you don't need to worry about me. I'm an adult—"

"I'll always worry!"

"—And I have a Vision. If anyone tries to hurt me, I can handle myself."

Lyney stood in front of her, put his hands on his hips, and pushed his shoulders back. "Nope, I'm coming with you."

Lynette sighed. "If that makes you feel better…"

Lyney hugged her around the neck. "Yay!"

Lynette pretended to be annoyed at his antics, but Lyney knew she preferred to have him with her when she left the house.

"We'll leave whenever you're ready."

Lyney nodded, still hugging her tightly. "Yeah, yeah. I— I'll meet you downstairs, let me get dressed."

Lynette purred softly at him, wriggling away from his grasp. "Just… Promise me you'll get some rest when we come home? I hate it when you refuse to take care of yourself."

"I know you do," Lyney sighed.

"Brother. Promise me you'll rest," Lynette repeated, holding his gaze.

Lyney smiled. "I promise I'll rest when we get home."

"Good." Lynette padded towards his door. "I'll meet you downstairs, then."

Rosseland meowed sadly from underneath his bed as Lynette left.

"I know, baby," Lyney sighed. "I'll nap later. I-I'll be fine."

"Mrrow?"

"Yes, Rosseland, I swear I'll be fine."

Unfortunately for Lyney, he had underestimated the exhaustion that came with using healing magic. An experienced healer would know how to mitigate that, but Lyney only knew how to heal himself. Barely.

He stumbled as he walked, something Lynette caught instantly.

"I'll handle the talking," she insisted when they reached the bank. "You sit down."

Lyney nearly fell asleep on that comfy chair, while Lynette handled all of the bank stuff that he had no energy to pay attention to.

Perhaps he did fall asleep, because when Lynette tapped his shoulder and asked him if he was okay, the clock appeared to have skipped a few numbers.

"I-I'm okay, Lynette, I just… spaced out a bit," he reassured, secretly longing for his blankets and his cat.

He was more aware as he followed Lynette out of the bank, rubbing his right eye as they headed back home. They passed Café Lutece, and Lynette stopped walking.

"Do you want to stop and grab something?" Lynette asked. "Some cake sounds lovely."

Lyney leaned against her back, resting his head on her shoulder. "Mhm. Yeah. Sounds lovely."

Lynette reached up to touch his forehead. "Cookies?"

Lyney purred. "Yeah. Get me some cookies."

Lynette moved him to a table so he could sit down, while she ordered some dessert for the two of them. A few madeleines for herself, and a few chocolate cookies for her brother.

"Come on, Lyney," she tapped his shoulder. "Let's go home."

Lyney hoped he had enough energy for that.

The twins were able to get home without incident, and Lynette promptly reminded Lyney about his promise to rest—not that he needed much convincing. Lyney took his paper bag of cookies into the kitchen, used the nearest pen to write his name on the bag so none of his siblings would take it, and went straight to his bedroom.

Rosseland sat on his bed, and meowed excitedly when Lyney entered his bedroom.

"One minute, Rosseland," he slurred, tugging off his dirty clothes. He tossed them onto his chair, then used his last dregs of energy to crawl into his bed.

Lyney was asleep before Rosseland finished getting comfortable beside him.

Thud.

"Mrrow!"

Lyney stirred as Rosseland jumped off his bed and rushed to his bedroom door.

"Oh, Rosseland, come back," Lyney whined, patting the warm space beside him.

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

Rosseland pawed insistently at his doorknob.

Lyney groaned as he slid out of bed to open it for her. Perhaps she just wanted to use the bathroom, Lyney didn't have a litterbox in his bedroom, after all.

"MRROW!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Lyney grumbled. He padded over to the door, wearing nothing but his underwear, and reached to crack it open. Rosseland did not slip out, meowing loudly at Lyney.

"My god, Rosseland, what do you want?" Lyney looked up, and to his surprise, he met Freminet's gaze.

Freminet also appeared surprised, likely by Lyney's lack of clothes. "O-oh, hi, Lyney." He averted his gaze.

Lyney quickly grabbed his shirt. "Hello, Freminet! I haven't seen you all day! How are you feeling, kiddo?"

Freminet stared at his feet, where Rosseland was winding around his ankles and purring loudly at him.

Lyney tilted his head. "Freminet?"

"I— I'm okay. Um… What about you?"

Lyney finished putting on his shirt, and reached for his pants. "Oh? Why do you ask?"

The boy shifted. "Um… L-Lynette said you were really tired today."

"Oh, I just needed a nap, that's all. I'm fine," Lyney lied.

Freminet sighed. "Al-alright…" Rosseland pawed at his legs, but Freminet made no move to pet her.

Lyney frowned. "Is something wrong?" He hated to see his brother upset. Especially when he was still recovering from his illness.

"I've just… just been worried about you recently. That's all." Freminet sniffled. Lyney couldn't tell whether it was because his nose was still stuffy or if he was tearing up.

"Come here," Lyney murmured, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy.

Freminet leaned into his shoulder, sniffling again as he returned the hug. "I dunno what I'd do without you, Lyney," he whimpered.

Lyney squeezed him tighter. "Well, I'm not leaving you anytime soon. You're stuck with me!" he purred, rubbing his cheek against the side of his brother's head.

Freminet sniffled. "Please take— take care of yourself…"

Lyney purred at him, though slightly confused. Why was Freminet worried about him all of a sudden?

"I'll do my best," Lyney reassured.

"You're sure?" Freminet squeezed tightly.

"I'm absolutely sure." Lyney purred. He held Freminet tight, purring softly into his ear, waiting for the boy to let go first. It seemed like he needed this; Lyney wouldn't press for answers. However, it did worry him greatly.

Freminet finally let go, several minutes later, and Lyney kissed his forehead before letting him pull away.

"Mwah! Feeling better?"

Freminet nodded. "Yeah. Better."

Rosseland, who had been pawing and headbutting at Freminet's legs for the past few minutes, finally meowed loudly at him, swatting his calf.

Lyney laughed. "Pet that poor cat before she goes mad."

Freminet bent over, petting Rosseland's chubby black flank until she began purring loudly.

"Now, is there a particular reason you're here to see me?" Lyney finally asked. "Or did you just want a hug?"

Freminet didn't answer for a moment, continuing to pet Rosseland, who had rolled over to expose her soft belly.

"Freminet?"

"…I need some pocket money," he mumbled, almost inaudible to Lyney. "Nettie hasn't given me mine yet…"

Lyney grinned playfully. "Ohh, so that's what this is about, huh? You just want some money." He clicked his tongue. "I thought you really loved me."

Freminet whined. "S-sorry, I need to buy something…"

"I'm just teasing you," Lyney said, tone softer than before. He opened one of his drawers, and quickly counted out enough mora for his brother. "What are you buying?"

"I… I need some new materials for my new project…"

Lyney handed him a handful of bills and coins. "Here you go. Four thousand, one hundred, twenty-five mora."

Freminet took the mora and quickly counted them. His brow furrowed.

"Oops, not enough?" Lyney asked, already reaching back into his drawer. He seriously could not count today, it seemed.

"Too much," Freminet mumbled. "This is at least four thousand and three hundred."

Lyney could not count today, it seemed. "That's fine."

"E-excuse me?" Freminet stared at him.

"You can keep it, I don't care."

Freminet stared at him for a moment longer, before he began to count out the extra to give back to his brother.

"Freminet. Stop, it's fine," Lyney insisted. "I make enough mora that I won't miss a few hundred."

Freminet opened his mouth to argue, but closed it just as quickly. "O-okay then…"

Lyney purred. "And if you need more, let me know."

Freminet nodded reluctantly. "M-maybe I'll get a real job soon, so I don't have to get all of my money from you two…"

"You're seventeen," Lyney reminded. "You have time." Lyney patted his little brother's shoulder. "Now, you'd best hurry off to the shops. Be back before dinner, okay?"

Freminet stared at him for a moment. "Y-yeah. I'll be back." He stood up. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"O…kay." Lyney stared after his little brother as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Mrrow?" Rosseland headbutted Lyney's leg, staring up at him with her wide, orange eyes.

"I don't know, either, Rosseland. That was… weird."

"Lynette! My dearest little sister!" Lyney called as he barged into his sister's room, uninvited, of course.

Unimpressed by her brother's lack of courtesy, Lynette did not spare him a glance. "What do you want?" She sat on her bed, writing in a notebook Lyney had never seen before.

"I just woke up from my nap," he announced, sitting on her bed. "Did you miss me?"

"No. What do you want?"

Lyney blinked at her. "Oh. You wound me, Lynette. And here I was, thinking you loved me!" Lyney placed a hand on his heart, dramatically falling backwards onto her soft blankets.

Lynette let out a tiny snort of laughter.

Lyney grinned and sat back up. "Anyway, I need to distribute allowances. Freminet already got his."

Lynette hummed. "It's all on my desk. Just take a basket with you so you can carry it all."

"Got it." Lyney swept the mora into the basket on Lynette's chair, then headed for the door. "Oh, keep an eye on Freminet, would you?"

Lynette tilted her head. "How come?"

"He seemed sad earlier. I… I wonder if something is bothering him."

Lynette hummed. "Y-yeah. I'll talk to him if I can."

Lyney nodded. "Thank you." He left the room, suddenly remembering those chocolate cookies he bought earlier… He could eat them when he was finished.

Lyney worked quickly so he could get to his snacks sooner. Sylvestre and Chapleau were not in their rooms, so he left the money on their desks, after counting multiple times to ensure he'd given them the right amount.

Foltz was in his room, playing with toys on his bedroom floor. Lyney knocked on the door before he walked into the boy's room, handing him the correct amount of mora bills and coins.

"You usually give me more than this," the boy observed, dropping the money into a glass jar on his desk.

Lyney's heart twisted a bit. The boy did not mean it in anything more than an observational way, but it still hurt. "Well— um… the House needed some extra repairs done, so we had to spend some extra money on that," he explained. "But I'm sure I'll be able to give you more next time. I know you're saving up for something."

"Did we finally fix the farting toilet?" Foltz giggled.

Lyney sighed, attempting to be mature, but he gave in and also giggled. "Hehe, yes, Freminet fixed it so it doesn't make… farting noises… anymore."

Foltz laughed.

Lyney finished handing out the mora to the younger children, or at least placing it in their rooms. Estella needed help styling her hair, so Lyney stopped to plait her pale brown hair into two little braids before she continued playing.

Finally, he could go downstairs and eat his cookies. Finally!

Lyney raced downstairs, almost tripping over a cat on the way, and entered the kitchen. The paper bag sat on the counter exactly where Lyney had left it, much to his delight. His happiness was short-lived, as he quickly noticed the bag had been ripped open. A piece had been completely torn off, and was nowhere to be seen. The only contents left were a few measly crumbs, and the lack of tiny teeth punctures indicated that the culprit was not four-legged.

"Alright, who ate my cookies?" Lyney complained.

Heloir perked her head up from the dining table, holding something that looked suspiciously like one of Lyney's missing cookies.

"Those were yours?" she asked sheepishly. "I… I was told they were okay to eat… And I didn't see a name on them…"

Lyney examined the bag. Part of it was missing, but he'd written his name on the other side, right?

…Right?

"I… I thought I wrote it on here." He sighed in disappointment. "Guess not. My— my mistake…" He opened the trashcan, about to throw the bag away, but he paused. The missing part of the bag sat on top of the trash, Lyney's name written clearly in dark ink.

"Hey, Heloir?" Lyney called, picking up the paper with his name on it. "Who exactly said you could eat these?"

"Sylvestre…" she answered.

"Right. Well, I'm going to kill him now," Lyney grumbled as he left the kitchen. Did he really mean that? Probably not, but with the paper bag in hand, Lyney stormed upstairs, heading straight for Sylvestre's bedroom.

His brother's bedroom door stood open, and Sylvestre was sitting on his bed, eating one of Lyney's cookies with a smug expression that made Lyney's blood boil.

In frustration, Lyney crumpled up the paper bag into a tiny ball, and aimed it right at Sylvestre's stupid forehead.

"Ow!" Sylvestre jumped, and began to rub his forehead. "What the—"

"I know it was you!" Lyney yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I spent money on those, for myself," he pointed at himself for extra emphasis, "and you ate them!" he angrily pointed back at Sylvestre.

Sylvestre stopped rubbing his head, and took another bite of the cookie. "You should've wrote your name on it."

Lyney moved to stand beside his bed, and shoved the other piece of the bag in his face. "I did. But somebody ripped it off so they could pretend they didn't see my name on it, so they 'thought it was for everyone.' "

"And what makes you think it was me?"

"Because— because I was told that you opened the bag!"

"Well, write your name in thicker ink next time so I can see it without having to look closely." Sylvestre popped the last bite into his mouth. An evil little smirk crossed his face, and Lyney snapped.

"YOUR WHOLE JOB IS TO LOOK CLOSELY!" Lyney stormed out of his brother's room and slammed the door.

He went to the bathroom, still seething. If he couldn't eat any of his desserts, maybe he could have a nice soothing bath… But nope, he couldn't do that either. The towel cabinet was completely empty. Not a single towel, large or small. Not even a washcloth to clean up a spill.

"DOES NOBODY IN THIS HOUSE DO LAUNDRY?!" Lyney exclaimed to nobody in particular. His chest heaved with frustration.

He frantically glanced around the bathroom. He needed something, anything, to deal with this.

Lyney had been trying to break this awful habit for years, but whenever he became frustrated, he tended to resort to more… harmful methods of coping.

He snatched a pair of scissors from the lowest bathroom drawer. The metal was freezing against his burning hot hands. He yanked his sleeve up, stood before the sink, and held the scissors to his arm. The pale skin was covered in old white lines of varying thickness. All old scars. Nothing fresh.

How long had it been?

If today were September 12th, it had been about eleven months since the last time he'd harmed himself.

Was he really going to ruin that over cookies and bath towels?

"I need to calm down," he mumbled, tossing the scissors back into the drawer. "Deep breaths," he urged himself, running his fingers through his hair. "I can buy more cookies, I can— I can wash more towels…" He slowly lowered himself to the floor, panting softly. "Harming myself only makes me more miserable…"

Besides, how would he explain it to Lynette?

Lyney sat on the cold bathroom tiles, knees to his chest and face in his palms, until he stopped shaking. He had a mission in two days, he could not screw it up with injuries that would hinder him.

Lyney hauled himself to his feet, and padded out of the bathroom, heading straight for his room. Rosseland was curled up in his magic hat, but the moment Lyney flopped onto his bed, she crawled out of the hat and found a comfortable spot right beside Lyney, pressed up against his side.

"Hi, darling," Lyney mumbled. He gently stroked her dark fur, purring softly at her. "What a good kitty."

Rosseland began kneading the blankets, and Lyney was about to fall asleep beside her, when Lynette popped into his room, informing him that it was almost time to make dinner.

"Already?" Lyney groaned into his pillows. "I don't want to."

Rosseland slid off the bed, moving across the room to wind around Lynette's ankles.

"Lyney," his sister began to use her scolding voice. "We make dinner on Mondays and Thursdays. And since today is Thursday…"

Lyney groaned. "Right. What are we making?"

"Shrimp and zucchini pasta."

Lyney hummed softly in acknowledgement. Shrimp was one of his favorites, but he had no energy for enthusiasm. He was hungry, though.

Lynette picked Rosseland up, holding the cat against her chest. "Are you alright?"

Lyney hesitated. "Y-yeah. I'm okay. Let's go make dinner.

When dinner was ready and the table was set, the family gathered to eat. Lyney's seat was beside Father's, which was at the head of the table. Lynette sat across from him, and Freminet sat on his other side.

"So, Faaather," Lyney started. "How was work today?"

Father narrowed her eyes a bit at the question. The children didn't usually ask about her paperwork. Lyney was just looking for something to talk to her about.

"It went fine. I mostly organized forms related to your upcoming mission."

Lyney hummed through a mouthful of food.

"Have you gone over that folder yet?" she asked.

Lyney had not. "Er— n-no, Father, not yet." No point in lying to her, she'd know.

Father nodded. "Well, I expect you to work on that tonight. You have time, no?"

"Y-yes, I do." Lyney would have rather done anything else, but Father's orders were as good as law. He would have to go over them soon, anyway, it was important for the upcoming mission.

…The mission.

The mission where he would have to perform on stage.

Lyney suddenly felt very uneasy.

Father did not seem to notice his discomfort. "You and Lynette worked hard on dinner, I see." She twirled some more pasta on her fork. "This is delicious."

Lyney laughed nervously. Lynette did most of the work.

"Thank you, Father," Lynette purred from across the table. "I need to adjust some ingredients a bit, though."

"Why? It tastes good to me," Chapleau commented.

That sparked a discussion between Father, Lynette, and Chapleau about ingredient ratios. Lyney quickly finished his bowl of shrimp pasta. He did have to go over that mission folder, as much as he did not want to, and it was best if he got it over with before he got so anxious he could no longer eat.

"I'm gonna go upstairs," Lyney announced as he stood up from the table, quickly taking his dishes to the kitchen.

"Already?" Lynette queried. "We've only been eating for four minutes."

"I— I already finished. Besides, I have to go over those files." 

Lynette narrowed her violet eyes at him. "You already finished your food? Don't eat so quickly, Brother, you'll get sick."

Lyney shrugged. "I'll be fine." He leaned to kiss his sister on the head as he passed.

"You always say that," Lynette mumbled. One look at Freminet told Lyney the boy was thinking the same thing.

Lyney chose not to acknowledge that; he'd be fine, after all, and headed towards the stairs. "Love you all," he called as he headed upstairs.

"Love you, too," replied a few voices. Lynette, Freminet, Estella. Father didn't respond, though Lyney knew she didn't express her love in that way, so he didn't mind.

He soon reached his bedroom, and once he was inside, he sat before his desk, and opened the folder… And did nothing.

Lyney didn't want to read the files on Monsieur Truffaud. He had to at some point, but he would rather have been doing anything else. The moment he started reading the first section, his thoughts began to wander. He was so tired and still upset at Sylvestre for stealing his cookies, he felt dirty from not having a bath, plus his knuckles felt stiff, so should he even bother doing anything except going back to bed?

"Mrrow?" Rosseland trilled at him as she climbed onto his lap.

"Alright, alright," Lyney mumbled, patting her flank. "Time to focus."

Lyney used one hand to turn the pages and move photos, and the other to pet Rosseland. He read, and read, and… Somehow didn't actually retain the information. It was as if he'd been putting water into a sieve, expecting it to remain inside, rather than spill everywhere.

Lyney groaned in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He closed the folder with more force than necessary, hitting his hand against the desk by mistake.

"Ow!" Lyney rubbed the side of his injured hand with his other one. "Right. Bedtime."

Lyney changed into his most comfortable pajamas, headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair, then finally, at only 7:13pm, Lyney curled up in his bed to fall asleep. He turned on the radio on his nightstand for some background noise, deciding it was best to listen to someone else's thoughts rather than come up with his own.

Because Celestia knew they would not be good thoughts.

"—As for the weather forecast, it looks like Fontaine is in for a weekend full of sunshine! We won't see a single rain cloud until Tuesday."

Perfect, weather reports. Sufficiently boring. Lyney could fall asleep to this.

Rosseland purred happily as she curled up beside Lyney, snuggled close to his chest.

Even more perfect, his cuddle-kitty was there. Lyney placed his hand over her flank, petting her fur as he vaguely listened to the weatherman.

"As we transition into fall, temperatures will steadily lower over the next few weeks."

Perfect, Lyney could finally start wearing sweaters again. He had a gorgeous pink one he hadn't gotten a chance to wear yet—

"And on Saturday, Horace Truffaud, who you may know as the founder of one of Fontaine's biggest law firms, will be hosting a banquet—"

Lyney sat straight up and turned the radio off with a loud click! In doing so, he scared Rosseland, who darted under the bed and into Lyney's spare magic hat.

"Why is that important enough to make the news?" Lyney grumbled. "It's just a stupid banquet."

Lyney ran his fingers through his hair, now thinking about the awful mission once again. He already knew he would be ill-prepared, through no one's fault but his own, which only served to make him feel even worse.

This wasn't even a complicated mission. All he had to do was gather blackmail material on a rich man.

What if it was his last mission as a mere agent? What if his next mission was as a Harbinger?

That thought made him sick to his stomach, but he had to ignore it. That was a ridiculous concept, he was a Fatuus; he would have several more missions in the next six months.

…What if Father didn't have six months? What if she had less time than that and she didn't even know?!

Lyney's stomach churned uncomfortably. Now he really was going to be sick.

He had to stop thinking about everything. He had to stop, he had to, he had to, he had to—

Lyney threw himself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time… He was certain he had nothing left in his stomach now.

"Well… There goes my dinner," he mumbled regretfully as he flushed the toilet. With the foul taste of stomach acid in his mouth and nose, he didn't have the appetite to fill himself up again. He rinsed his mouth, attempted (and failed) to rinse his nose, and hauled his exhausted body back to his bed.

Lyney wanted to cry. What a horrible day this had been.

After another hour of discomfort, including repeated attempts to clear the vomit out of his nose, Lyney finally fell asleep. He had not one, not two, but three cats on top of him, as two of Lynette's cats had screamed at his bedroom door until he let them in.

Éclair, a brown tabby tuxedo, was curled up by his feet, snoring quietly as she slept. Madeleine, a dilute tortoiseshell, lay sprawled out beside him. Unlike her sister, she did not snore. Rosseland was in her favorite spot, curled up by Lyney's chest, purring softly in her peaceful sleep.

Lyney, however, was not sleeping peacefully. He slept lightly as it was, and as he went to bed early, the rest of the House was still active. When the children went running down the hall, Lyney woke up. When Chapleau tripped over something in his room and fell, Lyney woke up. When Madeleine and Rosseland decided to play fight right on top of Lyney, of course, he woke up.

After kicking all three cats out of his bedroom, Lyney went to bed with an extra pillow instead. The sun had long set, and Lyney's room was now completely dark. The rest of the children were in their beds, so Lyney should have had an easier shot at falling asleep.

Unfortunately for Lyney, his own head was not on his side.

"But I can't be a Harbinger!" Lyney exclaimed. "You know I can't!"

Father shushed him. "Shh. You know you can."

Father didn't get it, she didn't understand, Lyney couldn't become a Harbinger!

The next thing he knew, Father was placing a Delusion, her Delusion into his right hand. It glowed with an evil light, and Lyney hated the mere sight of it.

"Why?!" he asked, trying to reach out and grab Father, but Father was nowhere to be seen.

Lyney held Father's glowing Delusion, feeling a foreign fire course through his veins. It burned, not with passion or confidence, but with pure, unbridled rage. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to DROP IT, but he just couldn't let go.

A pained scream tore from his throat, and the world began to swirl around him as—

—Lyney woke with a start, having broken into a cold sweat during his sleep. The waxing moonlight filtered through his curtains, cutting through the black night and illuminating a pathway on his bedroom floor. His hands shook when he lifted them to rub his eyes. Rosseland started pawing at the outside of his door, meowing to be let in.

Lyney sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, heart pounding heavily in his chest. He felt he might be sick again.

Rosseland mrrowed pitifully as she headbutted the door, and Lyney had no choice but to get up and let her in. His legs shook horribly as he took tentative steps towards the door, but at least they did not burn.

"C'mon, Rosseland," Lyney mumbled. "Inside."

Rosseland's belly pouch swung back and forth as she pranced inside. Instead of getting on top of Lyney's bed, she climbed into the magic hat on his desk, leaving Lyney alone once again.

"Fine, be like that," Lyney mumbled. He picked up the water bottle on his nightstand and took a hefty swig, breathing a loud sigh when he put the bottle back down. He used some tissues to wipe the sweat from his armpits and the back of his neck, then stuffed them into his overflowing trashcan.

Lyney climbed back into his bed, curling into a tiny ball to fall asleep again… But it was no use. The moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was the whole world spinning around him and Father's Delusion stuck to his hand and he couldn't bear that for another moment.

Lyney climbed out of bed and headed straight for the door. He'd just sleep in Lynette's room, she wouldn't mind at all. In fact, she'd probably appreciate it.

Lyney crossed the hall, nearly tripping over Éclair as she zipped past him, followed by her large brother, Mousse.

Lynette's room was just beside his, so Lyney did not have to walk far. His hand trembled as he reached for his sister's doorknob, but he forced himself to open it anyway. The anxiety was going to make him vomit again if he didn't go to her. He might not have been able to tell Lynette what was going on, but he needed her presence at the very least.

Lyney took a deep breath, and as quietly as he could, pushed open the door.

Bathed in moonlight, Lynette lay fast asleep in her bed. Her hair was tied into one long braid that lay across her silk pillow, shining like diamonds as she slept. But she wasn't the only one in her bed. Little Freminet was there, too, his blond hair spread across her other pillow. Perhaps he was still feeling anxious.

Lyney couldn't even be resentful; the poor thing had been sick for a week and was still recovering. He could handle Freminet's presence; perhaps that would even help more than only having Lynette. Lyney tried his best to move Freminet over, push him to the middle of the bed, without waking him or Lynette.

He failed.

Freminet stirred with a confused whine, which Lyney silenced by putting his hand over Freminet's mouth.

"It's just me," Lyney whispered. "It's just me, kiddo."

Freminet blinked up at him, his periwinkle blue eyes shining in the moonlight. "I— I know. I saw your eyes…"

Lyney smiled softly, and leaned down to kiss Freminet's freckled cheek. "Mwah. Think there's room for one more?"

Freminet asked zero questions; he just scooted over and made room for Lyney. Lyney climbed in, and snuggled close.

"Alright…" Lyney mumbled, patting Freminet's head. "Back to sleep now, Fremi."

Freminet yawned. "Mhm… Goodnight…"

Lyney purred softly, and curled up beside the boy. He wrapped his arms around his little brother, holding his warm body close. Lynette stirred on the other side of her bed, but did not wake up. Freminet fell asleep moments later, but Lyney remained awake for a while longer, resisting the urge to toss and turn.

Sleep did not come easily for him, and it did not bring peaceful dreams, but Lyney did not wake for the rest of the night. And the next morning, when Lynette awoke to a third person in her bed, she allowed him to remain there until he was fully rested.

Chapter Text

September 14, 6:32pm

Lynette and I are about to depart for Monsieur Truffaud's home. Our goal is to find anything to blackmail him with, in hopes of convincing him to pay off his debts to the Fatui.

– Lyney Snezhevich

Lyney finished writing the first mission status report. He quickly signed it, before folding the paper and tucking it in his pocket.

"Ready?" Lynette asked. The twins were all dressed in their magician costumes, with perfect makeup, prepared to head to Monsieur Truffaud’s house for their show… And to gather blackmail material. Surely a man like that had several secrets.

Lyney nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He picked up his hat, Rosseland meowed excitedly inside, and he put it on. “Are you?”

Lynette grabbed her bag. “Of course.”

Lyney breathed a shaky sigh. “Let’s go.”

The twins carried their bags downstairs, Lyney handed the mission status report to Father, who was sitting at the dining table with a cup of her favorite black tea.

“Heading out?” she asked, taking the paper from her son.

“Yes. We’ll be back before midnight.”

Father nodded. “Good luck.”

Lyney purred softly. “Thank you, Father.”

Lynette nodded. “Thanks.”

Lyney resisted the urge to ask if she needed anything before they left. Of course not, Father would be fine, Lyney tried to convince himself. Perfectly fine.

He did not need to stress about a death that would not happen until next year. The mission was a better thing to occupy his head. After all, it was happening now.

The twins headed outside and began to walk down the street, passing several Fontainians on their way home from work. People turned to look at them, and Lyney waved back at anyone who waved at them.

“On the way to a show, Great Magician?” a middle-aged man greeted Lyney. He wore a damp fisherman's uniform; he’d brought his children to some of Lyney’s shows before.

“Yep!” Lyney smiled up at him. “Dinner party."

The man nodded. "Of course. You two have a good show, alright?"

Lyney tilted his head slightly. "Aww, thank you," he purred. As if struck with a sudden idea, Lyney held out his empty hand, palm up. "Hand?"

The man blinked, surprised, then held out his hand in the same position as Lyney's.

Lyney closed his hand into a fist, tipped it upside down above the man's hand, and opened it. A few candies fell into the man's palm, each wrapped in shiny red foil with a gold Grin-Malkin Cat printed on them.

"Strawberry flavor," Lyney announced with a grin.

The man blinked in surprise. "Oh! Why— why thank you, so much. My children will really appreciate it."

"I'm glad!" Lyney purred. "Now, my dear sister and I have to go." He took Lynette's hand. "Have a good evening."

"You too!"

The twins continued on their way.

The cool evening wind nipped at Lyney’s exposed skin, blowing his coattails and half capelet out behind him. The glitter on the costumes sparkled in the warm sunlight as the magician twins walked, bags in hand.

Lynette took a long breath of the air. She wrinkled her nose in contemplation. "Hm. Smells like…"

Lyney stopped to look at her. "Like what, Nettie?"

"Cakes. The good stuff."

Lyney purred. "Well, you'll be very happy then. After the show," he added, much to Lynette's displeasure.

Lynette huffed. "I know that."

"Haha. Sure."

September 14, 6:53pm

Lynette and I just arrived at Monsieur Truffaud's house. We're about to go inside.

– Lyney Snezhevich

Lyney stuffed the paper into a hidden pocket on his suit. "Let's go." The twins approached the large door, and Lyney knocked loudly.

Moments later, the door was opened by a well-dressed man Lyney could only assume was the butler. "Please present your invitation."

Lynette retrieved the fancy paper from her pocket and handed it over.

The butler nodded, before marking the invitation with a red stamp and handing it back. "Monsieur has been most excited for your arrival. Welcome, Great Magician, and his most wonderful assistant." He stood back and opened the door wide to let them in.

"Hear that, Lynette?" Lyney purred as they entered the large mansion. "My most wonderful assistant, he called you."

Lynette hummed. "That's how we were addressed in the letter. He was simply reading what it said."

"Doesn't make it any less true!" Lyney took his sister's hand and led her through the groups of people in fancy clothing. Did he know where they were going? Absolutely not, but finding a stage to perform on couldn't be too hard.

Lyney found that he was correct, as there was, in fact, a stage by the wall, surrounded by round dining tables. It was a temporary one, set up just for them. It had a backstage area, but it was hard to tell exactly how much room they had. They'd have to go behind the curtains to find that out.

"Ah, you've arrived!" a booming voice called out.

The twins almost jumped.

"You must be our Great Magician!" A tall man came into view, gray and brown hair combed neatly back.

"Tis I," Lyney responded effortlessly, sneaking a hand down to smooth out his sister's tail. "You must be our lovely host."

"Correct." Monsieur Truffaud held out a hand for Lyney to shake.

Lyney took the man's large hand in his delicate, gloved one. The man had a firm grip, and his hand felt oddly tense when he took Lyney's.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you! My wife loves your shows. It was by her request that I invited you."

Lyney purred. "Aww, really? I'll have to meet her, as well."

Monsieur Truffaud adjusted his coat. "She— she would love that. Now, let me show you backstage."

Lyney and Lynette followed the man up the stairs onto the stage. They pushed past the curtains to the tiny backstage area. There was enough horizontal space for Lyney to extend one arm, and the only item was a small table. Lyney's jaw tightened; there was no way they could perform with such a small workspace.

Monsieur Truffaud moved a small coat hanger, drawing the twins' attention to a door. The stage was elevated, so the door was partially blocked.

"I apologize for the… er… awkward doorway," their host said, motioning to the door. "But I'm sure you will find the space adequate." He bent over to turn the doorknob, and pushed the door open for the twins to enter.

It was a small room, but like Monsieur Truffaud had said, there was adequate space for magic props to be set up. Against both the left and right walls sat a vanity table, with bright light bulbs around the mirrors. A soft couch and a coffee table sat in the middle of the room, completing the minimalist look.

It was no Opera Epiclese, or even Hotel Debord, but it would do.

"Perfect," Lyney praised, moving to place his bag on the table. Lynette did the same.

"Now, I have other guests to greet," the man said.

Before the twins could say anything else, Monsieur Truffaud left in a hurry, like he did not want to be around them much longer. Of course, there was the obvious answer that he had other duties, but perhaps he knew what the twins were really there to do.

"He's already suspicious," Lyney pointed out.

Lynette was already searching the room for hidden devices. "I noticed. I wonder why he invited us if he's so afraid."

"Sounds like his wife convinced him," Lyney lifted the couch cushions. When he found nothing, he put the cushions back down. He tipped the couch back so Lynette could look underneath.

"Nothing. Room's clear."

At that moment, the door opened, and a maid walked in.

"Sir, ma'am?" she called gently.

Lyney and Lynette turned around. "Yes?" Lyney asked, equally sweet.

"Would you like to eat before your show? Dinner will not be served for another half hour, but Madame Truffaud asked me to offer food to you."

Lyney and Lynette shared a look. They had eaten before they got there…
"Just something small would be nice," Lyney answered. "Like some salad?"

Lynette crossed her arms and glared. "Ahem."

Lyney sighed. "Or some cake. Lynette wants cake."

Lynette smiled.

September 14, 7:20pm

We're in the backstage area, a maid brought us some food. Show starts in ten minutes. Monsieur Truffaud seemed in a rush to leave after he showed us here. He claimed his wife was the one who convinced him to invite us. Lynette and I wonder why, after all, if they're indebted to the Fatui it would make more sense not to invite Fatui agents into their home.

Unless Madame Truffaud doesn't know about the debt…

On an unrelated note, the Caesar salad is delicious.

– Lyney Snezhevich

"Please don't write about the salad in our mission report," Lynette scolded him.

"I didn't, don't worry," Lyney lied. He used his fork to scoop up the last pieces of lettuce from his bowl; Lynette had already finished her cake.

"Hm. Should I believe you?"

"Yes." Lyney carefully put the fork in his mouth, keeping his makeup intact.

Lynette huffed. Clearly, she did not believe him, but she chose to reapply her lipstick rather than speak another word.

Lyney placed his dishes on the coffee table beside Lynette's. Unfortunately, he had to resist the urge to lick the bowl for every last drop of anchovy sauce… But there were high chances of more salad being served later.

The twins spent the next ten minutes organizing props and rearranging card decks. A maid entered the room to let them know they could start their show shortly.

"Right after Monsieur makes an announcement," she informed.

Rosseland purred from inside Lyney's hat as they finally left the backstage room for the performance. Lyney peeked out from behind the curtains to scan the room.

All the guests were seated at round tables in view of the stage, already eating their entrées. Lyney spotted small bowls of salad and soup, cups brimming with wine and soda, and plates of bread. He loved dinner performances, as the audience's attention was divided between the show and their plates. Much easier to hide mistakes. It also soothed Lyney's stage fright.

A couple of little girls sat at a table at the front with their parents, one of whom Lyney recognized as the Truffaud's eldest son. He'd done his homework, as painful as it was.

Monsieur Truffaud was sitting at the very front, beside a beautiful gray and brown-haired woman in a frilly pink dress. Madame Truffaud.

Lyney stood back and let Lynette have a turn to look.

"Madame Truffaud, I recognize her," Lynette murmured.

"Weeell, her husband told us she loves our shows," Lyney reminded. "Hard to do that if you haven't been."

"Truffaud is getting up." Lynette quickly stepped back.

Lyney drew a shaky breath when he heard the man's heavy footsteps on the wooden stage. Lynette reached out and gently took Lyney's hand.

"M'okay," he murmured. Thank the gods it was cold, otherwise he would begin to sweat all his makeup off.

Lynette squeezed his hand. "I know you are."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Monsieur Truffaud's booming voice rang out from just in front of them. Lynette's ears flattened against her head. "First of all, I'd like to welcome you all to my home. The staff, my sons, my wife, and I have spent much time preparing everything."

Lyney began to tap his foot. Slowly, quietly, trying not to make any noise.

"We're here to celebrate the success of my law firm," their host continued proudly. "As of last week, we have won over three thousand cases."

The audience began to applaud.

Lyney tapped his foot a bit too loud, and Lynette put her boot over his toes to keep him still.

"As tonight is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding, I put together a little party for everyone who's helped along the way."

If this is "little", I don't want to be there when he hosts a big party, Lyney thought as he yanked his foot away from his sister.

As Monsieur Truffaud began spotlighting individuals and thanking them, Lynette tried to put her foot on top of Lyney's again. He tried to hit her, but she dodged and whacked his hand before he could pull away.

Lyney swung again, harder this time, but not actually intending to hurt her. Maybe.

Lynette dodged. The two started swatting at each other with their hands, though they really shouldn't have been doing anything but holding still and listening for their cue.

"Hold still so I can hit you," Lynette growled.
"Why would I do that?" Lyney dodged.

Lynette tried to grab his arm, but Lyney moved just in time, sticking his tongue out to taunt her.

"I swear, I am going to kill you one of these days!" Lynette swung at him.

"Nuh uh, no you won't—"

"And now, I will stop boring you with my speech," Monsieur Truffaud's voice cut through their bickering, "and move on to the entertainment."

Lyney and Lynette quickly got back into position.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Fontaine's Great Magician, and his wonderful assistant."

Monsieur Truffaud finally stepped off the stage, and the magician twins pushed back the curtains to step onto it.

The audience began to applaud, some of them had to put down their forks to do so. The noise did not hammer into his skull like a larger crowd would, and the lights were not the bright ones that made his eyes hurt and his brain melt.

Lyney and Lynette bowed together—Lyney took his hat off to do so—and the two held position for exactly two seconds before standing straight again. Lyney put his hat back on his head, feeling Rosseland squirm inside.

When the crowd settled down, Lyney began to speak.

"Welcome, one and all! I'm tonight's star, Lyney," he gestured to himself, "and this is my twin sister, Lynette!"

Lynette waved, keeping her signature deadpan expression. "Hello, everyone."

"She may look tired, but I assure you, she's perfectly alert," Lyney purred.

Lynette huffed.

"Now, I'm sure some of you may have noticed," he turned so his back faced the audience, showing everyone his Vision. "My dear sister and I are Vision holders." He turned back around. "But, we will be removing our Visions for the duration of this performance…" Lyney took his hat off, and pulled a small box from within. "…And putting them in here." He put his hat back on.

The twins removed each other's Visions and carefully placed them in the box, before Lyney closed it. He placed it in the far corner of the stage, in full view of the audience.

"Now that we no longer have our Visions, you can be certain that we only use real magic," Lyney grinned tensely, attempting to mask his nervousness. "Like this."

Lynette quietly slipped backstage, while Lyney removed his hat and displayed its emptiness to the crowd.

"Are you gonna pull a rabbit out?!" the little girl at one of the front tables asked loudly. Her embarrassed mother leaned down to shush her.

Lyney purred with laughter. "Hehe. No rabbits here, but I do have a cat!"

The child squealed in excitement, kicking her little feet.

Lyney moved to that side of the stage and placed his hat by his feet, making sure the child had a full view of his trick.
"Ready?"

She nodded so hard her mother had to stop her from falling out of the chair.

Lyney knelt beside the hat, and tapped the brim with his pointer finger. "Oh, Rosseland!"

The hat began to shake, like something inside was moving, but it quickly settled. This wasn't supposed to happen. Rosseland was supposed to appear from the hat, not shake it!

Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic—

"Hehe… Seems she's asleep," Lyney hummed, attempting to recover. He tapped the brim again. "Ahem. Rosseland!"

With a burst of rainbow confetti, Rosseland appeared from inside the hat.

"Tada!" Lyney held the hat up, showing Rosseland off to the crowd.

The little girl clapped loudly with her little hands, giggling happily.

Lyney purred. Rosseland disappeared inside the hat, and Lyney held it up for the crowd to see that it was empty once again, before putting it back on.

"I'm not the only one with a magic hat," Lyney motioned to the other side of the stage, where Lynette had reappeared, holding a hat almost exactly like Lyney's—hers was teal instead of red, and lacked the Grin-Malkin Cat pin in the front.

"Our next trick is called 'Free as a Bird'," Lyney announced. "It's actually our first time performing this one."

Please don't let me screw this up.

Lynette, just like Lyney had, held her empty hat up for the audience to see. Once she was certain everyone had gotten a good look, she held it upside down, and tapped the brim.

With a burst of feathers, a pearly white dove flew out from inside.

Several people gasped in amazement as the dove circled Lynette's head, before fluttering across the stage and landing on Lyney's outstretched finger. He petted the top of the bird's head with his other hand, before magicking a piece of dried corn into his palm.

"This part's a little trickier," Lyney held his hand up to his bird. "Ready?" he asked her.

The bird took the corn, Lyney took his hat back off, and the bird flew into it.

Once the dove had vanished into Lyney's hat, she shot out from Lynette's hat once again, still holding the piece of corn.

The audience cheered.

Lyney sighed with relief. It works!

Lyney knelt and placed his hat on the ground. The bird soared across the stage and dove into Lyney's hat, shot out from Lynette's hat for a third time, and settled on the young woman's shoulder to eat the piece of corn.

While everyone was watching the beautiful dove preen herself on Lynette's shoulder, Lyney tipped his hat towards the back of the stage. Rosseland slipped out of the hat and sneaked underneath the curtains.

Lynette magicked another piece of corn into her hand, and gave it to the bird. Once the dove took the piece of corn, she jumped off of Lynette's shoulder, fluttering down into Lynette's hat for the last time.

Lynette put her hat on her head, but just as she let go of it, it vanished with a small puff of smoke and a burst of confetti.

Lyney stood and held his hat upright. He held it out just at his hip level, and let go. Instead of falling like one would expect it to, it hovered in place. The magician held his hands up, took a step back.

"No hands!" he exclaimed.

A few audience members chuckled.

Lyney moved to stand in front of the hat, and sat right down on the top. He lifted both feet, revealing that the hat was indeed supporting his weight.

"Now, I'm going to sit here, and Lynette is going to shuffle this deck of cards," Lyney pulled a full deck from thin air, sprang it between his hands, and tossed it to his sister. She caught it with one hand. "Watch her carefully, make sure she doesn't do anything funny," he winked.

Lynette began to shuffle. She started with a simple overhand shuffle, before moving on to more complicated ones.

While Lynette performed a faro shuffle, Lyney planted his feet firmly on the ground and spun himself around on his floating magic hat. This part wasn't in the script at all, but magicians were great at improvising.

The audience laughed quietly.

Lynette stopped shuffling for a moment, wondering what the audience could be laughing at. They hadn't planned any jokes for this part, after all.

When Lynette went back to shuffling, Lyney spun again, and the audience roared with laughter. Lynette whipped her head around to face her brother, but Lyney was already back in position. He tilted his head and smiled innocently, batting his eyes up at his assistant. "Is there something wrong, dearest sister?"

Lynette stared at him for a moment, debating. "…No. Of course not."

She went back to shuffling, and the moment she was no longer paying attention to him, Lyney spun once more.

The laughter was the loudest yet, and instead of looking at Lyney, Lynette looked right into the crowd. A few audience members pointed at Lyney. Lyney had kicked off the ground so hard that he was still spinning when Lynette finally turned to him.

"Lyney!"

He firmly planted his feet on the ground, coming to a sudden halt. "Yes, Lynette?" he purred.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh… Nothing?" he smiled innocently.

Lynette, long tired of her idiot brother, threw the cards right at him. They hit him square in the forehead, scattering across the stage as Lyney and his hat dramatically fell to the ground.

"Ugh, Lynette!" he whined, barely audible over the audience's roaring laughter.

Lynette pulled a single card from thin air and held it up. "While my brother picks those up," her voice took an almost playful tone, "I'll take the lead."

Lyney took his time stacking his cards back up for their next trick, while Lynette performed tricks of her own.

She held the card between her fingers, turning it to show that it really was a single card. But when she flicked her wrist, it fanned out into a whole deck.

Lynette used her other palm to press the cards into a neat stack. She sprang the cards between her hands, causing them to make a beautiful fluttering sound.

Lyney glanced up at his sister for a moment, watching her shoot cards into the air, before she snapped her fingers, causing them to vanish before they even hit the ground. She'd struggled with that one for a while, so naturally, Lyney felt proud that she'd finally mastered it.

He quickly returned to picking up his cards, not wanting to waste any more time. Rosseland's paw poked out from underneath the curtain. Lyney pushed his hat over, and held it in place so she could crawl back in.

Lynette had fanned all the cards out in one hand. With one quick motion, she snapped them all back together. A flick of the wrist, and they vanished completely.

Lyney stood, put his hat back on his head, and started performing an overhand shuffle on the cards he held. This was just for show, of course, he didn't really need to shuffle it.

"Now that we're back on track," Lyney purred, as if it wasn't his fault they'd gone off-road, "we need a volunteer from the audience." Lyney stopped shuffling the cards, and looked around the audience, though he already knew who he was going to pick. He met the eyes of Madame Truffaud. "Why don't you come onto the stage, Madame?"

She gasped slightly, looking at her husband for a moment, but smiled happily as she stood from her seat. Madame Truffaud practically ran over to the stage, and Lynette offered a hand to help the woman up.

Lyney bowed to her, then held out his deck of cards, praying nobody saw his hand shaking. "Would you take the top card, Madame?"

She took the top card off the deck, careful to only grab the one. She appeared excited, a natural response for an audience member called onto the stage.

"Now, show everyone what it is." Lyney smiled. "But don't tell me."

She looked at the card, then turned it to the audience.

"Go ahead and put the card back," Lyney held the deck out again.

Madame Truffaud placed the card on the top of the deck.

"Now, I'd like you to shuffle," Lyney put his right hand on top of the deck, completely concealing the top card. "You can make sure I don't do anything funny," Lyney winked.

When Madame Truffaud held her hand out, the magician carefully placed the deck on her palm. He slid his right hand off the top, quickly hiding it beside his thigh.

"I can help you shuffle if you need it," Lynette offered.

The woman nodded.

While Lynette instructed Madame Truffaud through the basic shuffles, Lyney pretended to adjust his hat.

When he'd given Madame Truffaud the deck, he'd taken the top card off without anyone noticing. She thought she was shuffling her card into the deck, but she didn't have it at all.

Lyney moved his right hand to the back of his head, using his left hand to tip his hat forward just a bit. He stuck the card through the tiny gap that appeared, barely holding it with the tips of his fingers.

Rosseland gently took the other end with her teeth, and only then did Lyney put his hat back.

"Put your thumbs right there," Lynette instructed.

The cards fluttered loudly as Madame Truffaud performed a very amateur riffle shuffle.

"Oh, I did it!" she exclaimed.

A few audience members laughed and clapped for her. One of her sons called, "Good job, mom!" but, much to Lyney's shock, her own husband did nothing. Monsieur Truffaud didn't even smile.

Lyney had to resist the urge to frown. "Ah, good job!" he praised Madame Truffaud. "Now, for the next part of this trick… May I have my cards back?"

Madame Truffaud handed the deck back to him.

Lyney held the cards up. "As you can see, Madame Truffaud has shuffled my cards. Therefore, I could not have rearranged them in any way." Lyney tilted his head.

Madame Truffaud nodded, intrigued.

"Does everyone still remember the original top card?" Lyney called to the audience.

A few people nodded.

"I shall produce that card right before your very eyes, without shuffling the deck again." Lyney placed the deck in his sister's hands.

Madame Truffaud put a hand to her lips as she watched.

Lyney exaggerated the action of taking the top card off the deck. "Was this your card?" He held it up so she could see.

Her brown eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. "No, it's… not."

Lyney turned the card to the audience. "It's not the correct card?"

A few audience members shook their heads.

"This isn't how the trick usually goes," Madame Truffaud pointed out.

"Well, I said I'd produce the card," Lyney purred. "Never said from where."

C'mon, Rosseland, don't fail me now.

Lyney took his hat off, held it in front of him. Rosseland popped out of Lyney's hat, just like earlier, and the three of spades sat on the brim of her own little hat.

"Was this your card?"

"Yes!" Madame Truffaud squealed.

Lyney turned around again so everyone could see that Rosseland was holding the correct card.

"Tadaaa!"

Most of the audience clapped. Some people were too busy finishing their entrees.

Lyney took the card from Rosseland's hat, put it back in the deck, and Rosseland disappeared back inside the hat. Lynette dropped the cards into the hat, and Lyney put it back on his head.

"Thank you so much for your time, Madame," Lyney bowed to her again.

"No, no, thank you," she praised. "Your magic is incredible."

Lyney purred.

Lynette helped the woman down, before moving to stand beside her brother in the center of the stage.

Lyney reached behind his back, hiding that hand from the audience's view. This trick was easy; there was no way he could mess it up.

"I have one last trick," he chuckled. Lyney pulled his hand back, now holding a small Lumidouce bell in his palm. He held it up between his thumb and forefinger for the audience to get a better view.

"Don't blink now!" Lyney placed the flower in his sister's hand.

Lynette closed her hands around the blue Lumidouce bell. When she opened them, in her palm sat a rainbow rose, pastel pink and lovely.

She placed the flower in Lyney's palm. He held it up just like he had the Lumidouce bell, before enveloping it completely in his gloved hands.

Lyney began to count aloud. "One… Two…"

Everyone in that room was fully focused on the show, on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

"Three!"

Lyney opened his hands, and from his empty palms, bright rainbow confetti went shooting up into the air. Like colorful snowflakes, it floated slowly down, landing on empty plates, in people's hair, on tablecloths and tile floor.

Lyney snapped his fingers, and every single piece of confetti disappeared with a tiny flash of light.

"And that concludes Lyney and Lynette's magic show!" Lyney took off his hat, and the twins bowed. Rosseland popped out of the magic hat as the audience applauded for a final time.

Madame Truffaud even stood up to applaud. "Oh, bravo! Bravo!"

Lyney waved at her with a smile, before he put his hat on, and walked backstage.

The moment he entered that backroom, he collapsed onto the couch. His whole body was trembling; Lyney wrapped himself in a blanket even though he knew it wouldn't help.

"Lyney?" his sister called his name.

"Ughhh…" Lyney whined.

Lynette had brought the box containing their Visions, which she placed on the table. She took her Anemo one out, and fixed it to the bow on her ponytail.

"Monsieur Truffaud didn't even smile at his wife once," Lyney commented.

"You noticed, too?" Lynette tilted her head. "Yes. It was quite odd for someone who supposedly loves his wife."

"Maybe they're in a fight at the moment," Lyney suggested.

Lynette shrugged. "That doesn't make much sense either. But you could be right."

Knock knock knock.

Lyney sat up as the same maid from before walked into the room.

"Hi," Lyney greeted.

Lynette waved.

The maid placed a menu in Lynette's hand. "Here. You two can order your main course, and someone will bring it to you after you sit down." She motioned to the door.

Lynette sat beside Lyney on the couch, and opened the menu to the main course section. Lyney saw the words "Herb Crusted Salmon" and decided he didn't need to read any further.

"The salmon sounds good," Lyney commented. "Lynette?"

She nodded.

"Alright," Lyney folded the menu back up and handed it to the maid. "Salmon for both of us, then."

She nodded. "And for dessert?"
"Chocolate cake," Lynette said, even though she'd already had a slice.

Lyney shook his head. "None for me."

Lynette gave him a confused look. "Really? None?"

Lyney shrugged. "Unless it's possible to have more Caesar salad for dessert."

Lynette folded her arms. "That's not a dessert."

"Chocolate cake isn't an appetizer, either."

Lynette instantly shut up.

The maid laughed softly. "I'm sure we have more salad dressing left, if that's what you would like."

Lyney smiled. "Yes, please."

She nodded, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Lyney fell back onto the couch again.

Lynette sighed. "Get up."

"Mmgh… Tired…" Lyney groaned.

"You'll feel better when we eat." Lynette tugged at his arm. "Come on, sit up," she demanded.

Lyney grumbled as he pulled himself into a seated position. Lynette fixed his Vision to the bow on the back of his costume, then she smoothed out his hair.

"Come on, Brother, let's go eat. I'm hungry."

Automatically, Lyney opened his mouth to say he wasn't, but his stomach growled loud enough for Lynette to hear.

"Yeah… Me too."

After an extra moment of rest, the twins left the backstage room to find spots to sit. Lynette mumbled something about her mouth being dry, but Lyney spotted a serving table close to the door, full of wine bottles and empty glasses.

"C'mon, maybe they have something over here," Lyney grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the table.

As they walked, something heavy and warm suddenly ran into Lyney's leg. It held on tight, securing him in place.

Lyney looked down, meeting the round blue eyes of the small child from earlier.

"Well, hi there, kiddo!" Lyney smiled.

"Hiii!" she squeezed his leg tighter.

Lynette waved softly at the little girl. She couldn't be any older than four, Lyney thought. Or maybe she was a really small five-year-old.

"What's your name?" Lyney smiled, gently patting the top of her brown hair.

"Louise!" she exclaimed proudly. "I'm four!"

"Wow, that's cool!" Lyney purred, glancing around the room. "Uh… Where exactly are your parents?" He kept a hand on her head while his eyes were elsewhere, making sure she didn't run off and end up somewhere unsafe.

Or with someone unsafe. Lyney couldn't trust anyone here.

Lyney spotted Louise's mother, who was looking around the tables for her child.

Lyney waved at her, quickly catching her attention. "Hey, I think you lost someone," he pointed to the child clinging to his leg.

"Oh my god!" her mother exclaimed, rushing over to grab her daughter. "I am so sorry about her!"

Lyney gently patted the girl's head. "Oh, don't worry. I'm used to it."

The mother laughed slightly. "I— I'm glad you're so understanding." She tried to pry her daughter off of Lyney's leg. "She's a big hugger." The girl let go, and her mother pulled her away.

Lyney purred. "Aww. Yeah, one of my little brothers is the same."

Lynette nodded.

The mother sighed. "I just hope she grows out of it."

Louise clung to her mother's skirt with one little hand, and waved at Lyney with her other.

Lyney waved back at her, a genuine smile on his face, as opposed to the one he'd put on the whole show.

"Brotherrr," Lynette tugged at the bow on his lower back. "Come on, I wanna eat."

Lyney sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Me too." He waved at Louise one more time. "Bye, Louise! Stay with your mom now, okay? Don't want you running off again."

She nodded. "Bye bye!"

Lyney smiled at her, then waved at her mother. Lynette, impatient as ever, suddenly grabbed the back of Lyney's collar and started dragging him to the drink table.

"Lynette!" he whined.

"I'm thirsty."

Lyney tugged away from her and stumbled to his feet again. "Okay, okay, message received."

Lynette led the way to the drink table. Lyney almost started to panic, wondering if food or drink would make him throw up again, before he realized something. He'd eaten the salad earlier, and he was fine. Great, even.

Lynette picked up two wine glasses, and handed one to her brother, before she went to pour herself a drink.

Lyney hesitated, but decided he would do the same. His stomach felt well for the first time in weeks, he should make the most of it.

Most of the people around them were drinking wine, but Lyney poured his glass full of lemon lime soda. While he had a bit of a tolerance, he couldn't risk even the slightest bit of alcohol during important missions.

Lynette filled her glass with strawberry Fonta, while Lyney carefully scanned the room. He spotted Monsieur Truffaud, glass of wine in hand, talking to a young lady in a pink dress.

Something told Lyney to keep watching, so he did.

"I'll go find us a table," Lynette whispered.

"Thank you," Lyney responded, not taking his eyes off Monsieur Truffaud and his… friend?

Lynette did not say anything else, instantly understanding what he was doing. She went behind him as she walked away, staying out of his line of sight.

Good thing she did, as Lyney spotted something very interesting.

Monsieur Truffaud put his arm around the young girl. The gesture was so intimate that Lyney almost thought she might be his daughter, before he remembered the man only had sons. Lyney also noticed how different they looked. They both had brown hair, but, at least from this distance, the girl's face looked nothing like Monsieur Truffaud's. An in-law or the daughter of a family friend, perhaps?

Or maybe a secret girlfriend.

Though he wasn't being so secret about it…

The monsieur, seeming to sense someone was watching him, quickly let go of the girl and started looking around the room. Lyney turned away, and took a sip of his soda while he looked for his sister.

Lynette was still looking for an empty table that did not have purses or coats on the chairs. Lyney was quick to walk up behind her.

"Nettie," he greeted softly.

"Hello." Lynette stepped closer to him. "Find anything?"

Lyney looked around. "Yeah. Possible affair," he whispered, barely loud enough for her sensitive ears to pick up. "Saw him hugging a woman." Due to missions like these, he'd long mastered speaking so quietly.

She nodded. "I'll go backstage," to write down what Lyney just told her. "Try and find us a spot?"

"Yep. Of course."

Lynette slipped away, leaving Lyney alone once again. Not that he minded, of course. They were on a mission, after all, but he much preferred to have her at his side. She was safer that way.

Lyney couldn't afford to trust anyone here.

He put his left hand over his wine glass, ensuring his palm covered every gap.

Someone approached behind him, he heard their soft footsteps. Lyney quickly turned around to meet a pair of bright blue eyes, belonging to a teenage girl.

The same girl who was with Horace Truffaud.

"Um… Excuse me," her voice was soft. "You're standing in front of my chair."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mademoiselle," Lyney quickly stepped aside, and automatically pulled her chair out for her.

She placed her bag down on the seat. "Thank you."

Lyney smiled. "You're welcome."

She looked at him again. "I… I enjoyed your performance. The bird trick was really cool."

"Aww, thank you!" Lyney purred. "It took months of practice, you know? It's quite hard to teach birds to teleport," he joked.

The girl laughed. "I can imagine, hehe."

"Then, of course, you have to teach them to teleport where you want them to go," Lyney added to his made-up story. "They're their own creatures, of course, and prefer to do their own thing."

She nodded. "Yes, yes. Dogs are the same, hehe."

"I can imagine."

"Janet," a new voice, a middle-aged man, called.

The young lady turned around. "Oh, hi, Dad!"

He smiled at his daughter. "And who's this handsome fellow?" the man grinned at her, gesturing to Lyney with one hand.

Lyney held out his hand. "I'm Lyney," he introduced himself, though he was certain the man knew who he was. "My sister and I performed tonight."

The man smiled wider when Lyney offered his hand, and took it, grasping firmly as he shook. "Yes, yes, I saw! How marvelous!" He released Lyney's hand. "I'm Bernard Emond, and this is my wonderful daughter, Janet." He put an arm around his daughter's shoulder. "I hope you haven't been giving her any trouble."

"Of course not, Dad," Janet stepped away from her father. She seemed annoyed by him. "He's very polite, actually!"

Bernard grinned. "Oh, I know, I was just messing with you! I can tell he's quite the gentleman."

Janet rolled her eyes.

Lyney smiled awkwardly at the praise. "Ah. Thank you, sir."

Her father laughed heartily. "See, you'd do well to marry a young man like him, Janet."

Lyney stared, unsure how to respond to that. He was flattered, yes, but quite taken aback.

Janet flushed. "Dad, you know how I feel about this…" she mumbled. She shot Lyney an apologetic look, and shifted uncomfortably. It sounded like her father did this often.

Lyney gave a slight laugh, trying to keep the atmosphere calm. "Oh, I'm too old for your daughter," he dismissed with a wave of his right hand. The girl looked no older than sixteen… She was just a kid.

"Nonsense, she's almost twenty-one!" her dad exclaimed, much to Janet's embarrassment.

Okay, she's not a kid, after all… But still, the poor thing looks mortified. I should do something.

"Eh-heh, still," Lyney waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not looking to marry anyone for quite a while."

Besides, he had his eye on someone else.

"Ah, what a shame," Janet's father sighed.

Lyney decided to change the subject. "Have you had anything to drink yet? There's more than just wine over there."

Janet's father shook his head. "No… Not yet. What else do they have?"

Lyney held up his glass of soda. "Soda. Mine's lemon-lime."

Janet's father nodded. "Is it good?"

"Very. You should try some while it's still there, it's quite popular!"

The man turned in the direction of the drink table, where someone else was already pouring themselves a glass of soda.

"Hurry before it's gone!" Lyney encouraged.

The man headed to the table, and Janet sighed loudly in relief. Her face was redder than Lyney's coattails, and she fidgeted awkwardly with her skirt.

"I am so sorry about him, sir," she apologized. "He— he does this all the time…"

Lyney gave an understanding nod. "It's alright, Janet. I won't hold it against you," he laughed softly, attempting to reassure her and lighten the mood.

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you. He wants me to get married soon, but… I… I wish he wouldn't try to set me up with every man he meets."

"You'll find someone eventually, don't rush it," Lyney advised. "I'm older than you, and I'm not married yet."

She glanced towards the drink table. "Yeah… You're right. Thanks again, Mister…" she paused, trying to recall if she'd ever heard his last name. "Mister Lyney," she settled on.

"You're quite welcome." He magicked a candy into his right palm and held it out to her. "You look shaky, this'll get your energy back up."

She blinked up at him for a moment, then slowly took the candy, careful not to touch his palm with her fingertips.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Lyney smiled. "You're quite welcome."

A booming voice interrupted their solitude. "Ah, Great Magician! I see you've met Janet!"

Both of them jumped.

"Ah, Hor— Monsieur!" Janet greeted, stuffing the candy into her purse.

Lyney noticed her slip-up. He'd seen them together earlier; they were obviously close. Why was she being formal now?

"Monsieur," Lyney greeted. "Yes, we just met. How do you know each other?"

Monsieur Truffaud laughed. "Oh, we met a few years ago when her father attended another party of mine."

Janet nodded slightly.

"We're quite good friends now, wouldn't you say, Janet?" he asked the young woman, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Y-yes." She leaned against him for a moment before he let go.

Lyney's brow furrowed. This felt weird. Almost too touchy for just friends.

Lyney took the stem of his glass with his right hand, removing his left hand from the top. He took a careful sip of his soda, carefully schooling his facial expression. Of course he was cheating. Just as he'd suspected.

"Soda?" Monsieur Truffaud asked.

Lyney nodded, covering his glass again. "Yes. Lemon-lime."

"You really should try the wine," Monsieur Truffaud encouraged. "There's plenty of dandelion wine up there, imported straight from Mondstadt. Of course, there's plenty of Fontainian stuff, if that suits your taste more," he smiled.

Lyney tilted his head. "Oh, how kind of you to offer," Lyney smiled. "But I'm not drinking tonight."

Monsieur Truffaud frowned. Janet suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Are you sure? I'm certain you could use a drink after a tough show like that."

Lyney shook his head. "No, thank you. I can relax just fine without alcohol."

Luckily, Monsieur Truffaud got the message loud and clear. "Alright then. Figured I'd offer."

Why is he so persistent, Lyney wondered. Does he know what we're here to do?

Lynette came back at that moment, announcing her presence by resting her head on Lyney's shoulder.

He didn't even jump. "Lynette," he greeted.

"Find us a place to sit?" she asked.

"Not yet."

"Perhaps you should come sit with me and my wife," Monsieur Truffaud offered. "We have a few empty seats at our table."

Is this out of politeness, or is he trying to keep an eye on us?

"Sure," Lyney purred. He needed to dispel any suspicions the man had.

Janet moved to sit in her seat, and Monsieur Truffaud put a hand on Lyney's shoulder to guide him away. Lynette followed close, holding her empty glass tight in her hand.

Lyney did not pull away, as uncomfortable as he was, allowing the man to be friendly with him.

"Carole," the man greeted his wife. "I've invited these two to sit with us."

Madame Truffaud gasped, and waved at the twins. "Hi! Hello!" she greeted enthusiastically.

Lynette waved at her. Lyney bowed.

"Oh, don't just stand there," she motioned to the two empty seats. "Come, come, sit!"

The twins sat down, Lyney sat across from Monsieur Truffaud, and Lynette sat on her brother's left side, across from Madame Truffaud.

Lyney quickly downed the rest of his soda, then set the empty glass on the table.

"So, did you enjoy our show?" he asked, making eye contact with the man before him.

Monsieur Truffaud nodded. "Of course I did. My wife and I were beyond amazed at your performance," he praised.

His wife nodded in agreement. "Yes, you and your sister were spectacular!"

"Aww, I feel honored," Lyney giggled.

Before Madame Truffaud could say anything else, a maid approached the table with a tray of bottles. "Refills?" she asked softly.

Lyney smiled at her. "Oh, yes, please!" He moved his wine glass closer to her. "Lemon lime soda."

She poured his glass full.

"Thank you!" Lyney motioned to Lynette. "And strawberry Fonta for my sister."

Lynette nodded.

Once she'd given all four of them a refill, she left, and the conversation resumed.

"Is there any chance you could show us some more magic?" Madame Truffaud asked gleefully.

Lyney purred softly. "Of course we can!" He looked at Lynette for approval.

Instead of speaking, Lynette sighed and took a long drink of her soda.

"Okay then, I will show you more magic. I don't think my sister is up to it." Lyney took a sip from his glass, then reached into his pocket.

The Truffauds watched with wide eyes, waiting to see what kind of objects he might conjure up.

Lyney pulled his empty hand from his pocket.

"This is an invisible card deck," the magician said informatively, holding his palm out like a deck of cards sat atop it.

Monsieur and Madame Truffaud looked a bit confused for a second, but they both nodded.

"Now, I'm going to shuffle this deck." Lyney then made a show of shuffling imaginary cards. He started with a basic overhand shuffle, then separated the "deck" and performed a riffle shuffle.

"Wow, he makes it look real," Madame Truffaud whispered to her husband, barely loud enough for Lyney to hear. "Almost like there really are invisible cards."

Lyney placed his invisible deck on the table and spread it out. He mixed the cards with both hands, then started picking them back up again.

He pulled the cards closer to himself again, and pretended to watch one fall off the edge.

"Whoops, let me just pick that up…" He bent over, and grinned to himself when he heard Monsieur and Madame Truffaud chuckling. Perfect. 

He picked the card up, and finished stacking the deck again.

"Would either of you like to shuffle?" he held the deck out to them.

Monsieur Truffaud shared a small glance with his wife. She nudged him, and he took the deck with careful fingers—perhaps he believed there was an actual invisible deck of cards in the magician's hands. His shuffling was not as convincing as Lyney's, but he was not the performer, so it didn't matter.

"Pull any card from the deck," Lyney instructed. "Any card at all, your choice. Then turn it upside down and put it back."

Monsieur Truffaud pinched his fingers together, and pulled them back, as if taking a card. He turned them over and moved them forward again, putting the card back into the deck.

"Remember your card, alright? But don't tell me."

Monsieur Truffaud nodded thoughtfully.

Lyney held out his hand once more. "May I have my deck back?"

The nobleman carefully placed the deck back into Lyney's hand.

The magician smiled wide as he reached into his pocket to put away his fake cards, before he pulled out the real deal.

"Now, could you tell us what card you picked?" Lyney asked, holding the real deck up so they could see.

"Five of spades."

Face up, Lyney spread the cards across the table. Just above the seven of spades was a single card not turned face up. Lyney slid it forward, separating it from the rest to draw attention to it.

"Was this your card?" Lyney flipped it over.

Sure enough, it was the five of spades.

Madame Truffaud gasped and clapped delightedly, while Monsieur Truffaud stayed silent, though he was clearly impressed.

"How did you do that?!" Madame Truffaud asked.

Lyney purred. "A magician never reveals his secrets." He pushed the deck back together, and put it back in his pocket, just in time for a maid to bring out a couple of trays of food.

Dessert for Monsieur and Madame Truffaud, and dinner for the twins.

"Thank you!" Lyney smiled gratefully at the maid. He was on a mission, but that didn't mean he wasn't starving.

While everyone ate their food, Monsieur Truffaud started a conversation about his last vacations.

"So. Liyue, have you two ever been to Liyue?"

Lyney and Lynette nodded at the same time.

"Lantern Rite?" he guessed.

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. Last year. It was fun."

He got to see the Traveler, that was the best part. Lyney hoped he'd get to see them again soon. They left for Natlan a whole month ago, but he'd missed their presence the first day they left.

It wouldn't be true to say he'd missed them every single day. He'd had more pressing things on his mind.

Lyney continued to eat without saying a word, while listening to Monsieur and Madame Truffaud tell them all about their Liyue vacation.

"…So I went to see this healer for my cold, and he gave me some medicine, of course." Monsieur Truffaud laughed. "Haha, usually, stuff like that takes a bit to affect you, but that stuff cured my sore throat in a heartbeat."

Lyney looked up, soda glass halfway to his lips. "This healer… what was his name?"

The man answered, "Doctor Baizhu. He owns a pharmacy in Liyue. It's well-renowned, and for good reason. Bubu Pharmacy, have you ever heard of it?"

Lyney leaned forward in his seat. "No, sir. Do tell me more." Yes, he had heard of it, but "renowned for good reason"? He'd never heard that much.

"He practices traditional Liyuean medicine… Acupuncture, herbal remedies… The herbs are the most bitter thing you will ever taste, but they work wonders, probably due to that Vision of his. Why, if the rumors are true, he can cure anything!"

Lyney nodded intently. A talented Vision bearer with the power to heal anything… Sounded exactly like the kind of person Father needed to see.

"But…" Madame Truffaud shivered. "That snake… Oh. It was so creepy. It was always wrapped around his neck like some kind of scarf…"

A snake? Even better, Father liked snakes!

Lyney nodded along, even as Lynette gave him a nudge under the table. He nudged her in response, telling her to wait, and continued asking questions.

"Well, everyone has a weird quirk about them," Lyney swirled his soda around in the glass. "But… Surely he can't cure everything, no?" He tilted his head and pursed his lips, eyes wide with curiosity.

"That's what you think," the man leaned in to speak quietly, like he was telling a big secret. "But I heard… He's cured cancer."

Lyney's eyes widened further. Cancer? The very thing Father was suffering from? Why, if that was true…

Monsieur Truffaud sat up straight, his voice returning to a normal volume. "But.. Rumors are rumors, after all, and cancer is, well. Cancer."

Lyney hummed in agreement. Yes, cancer was horrific, notorious for being nearly impossible to cure… But it was worth a shot.

Lynette gave Lyney an odd look.

Lyney smiled innocently at her. "Are you enjoying your food, dear sister?"

Lynette nodded. "Yes, it's very nice." She narrowed her eyes at him.

Lyney laughed nervously. Perhaps there had been too much talk of illness lately.

"Ooh, I'm so glad you love the salmon!" Madame Truffaud smiled. "That's actually my recipe," she giggled.

Her husband's jaw clenched. Monsieur Truffaud's eyes narrowed when his wife giggled, and he quickly looked away.

Lyney frowned. Imagine marrying someone you love, and he looks at you like that.

"It's your recipe?" Lyney asked, quickly masking his irritation with a smile. "Well, I might have to ask for a copy before we leave. It's delicious."

Lynette nodded. "If you don't mind, of course."

"Oh, I'd love to share it with you!" she smiled happily, oblivious to the lie in her husband's fake smile. "I actually made it for my dear Horace just after we got married," she leaned against Monsieur Truffaud. "He loved it! Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes. Of course I did."

Lyney continued to smile, despite how he was beginning to dislike Monsieur Truffaud. But, he couldn't let his feelings get in the way of their mission.

Once they'd eaten dinner, Madame Truffaud got up to chat with the other party members, while Monsieur Truffaud remained at the table with the twins. He didn't say anything, just sat there.

Lyney felt like they were being supervised.

Lynette stood. "I should go backstage and make sure everything is packed up."

"No, no," Monsieur Truffaud laughed. "Your dessert will be here soon, you should really sit back down."

The twins shared a look, and Lynette slowly sat back down.

Horace Truffaud was definitely supervising them. It would be hard to slip away without the man asking questions, or worse, following them.

Lyney was utterly confused. If he was so paranoid about the twins finding something, why had they even been invited? He'd said his wife had requested them, so why hadn't he told her no?

His wife certainly doesn't know about the debt, Lyney concluded.

"Speaking of dessert," Lynette nudged her brother, and tilted her head towards a blonde maid carrying a small tray.

"Great," Lyney sighed. He was getting tired, certainly ready to head home. But, unfortunately, he still had a lot of work to do.

The girl approached the table, and placed Lynette's cake in front of her.

"Here you go…" the girl's voice trembled slightly, reminding Lyney of his dearest little brother. She moved to place Lyney's salad in front of him, but her hand slipped, and the salad spilled all over the table.

Lyney jumped back slightly.

"Oh my god!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm so so so sorry!" She placed her tray down and began to scoop the salad up with her bare hands. Her arms shook, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Lyney stood. "Hey, it's okay," he grabbed some napkins off the tray and helped wipe the table. "Accidents happen, it's okay," he reassured. He'd done this same routine with Estella that very morning after she'd spilled juice all over the floor.

"No, it's not okay," Monsieur Truffaud stood up, also. "We discussed this. You can't be embarrassing me in front of my guests!"

The girl seemed to shrink, leaning away from Monsieur Truffaud.

"Hey!" Lyney scolded. "It was just an accident, leave her alone."

"Sometimes you have to teach your staff how to do their job," Horace Truffaud crossed his arms.

The girl stopped picking up the salad, and darted away, running as fast as she could to the nearest dark hallway.

"I've never spoken to my staff that way."

Monsieur Truffaud had the decency to look embarrassed.

Lyney met his sister's eyes, and tilted his head towards the table. Lynette nodded, understanding what he meant. "You clean this up."

Lyney walked off in the same direction as the girl had went. He had a feeling this was the right thing to do.

He made his way across the party area, and slowly padded into the correct hallway. It was dimly lit, but he could see the young woman sitting against the wall, knees to her chest and arm to her face.

Lyney turned to leave. Perhaps she was tired and needed a moment to herself—

Sob.

Lyney's heart wrenched. That girl had reminded him so much of Freminet…

As much as he knew he should leave her be… Lyney slowly walked down the hallway, and sat down across from her, leaning against the wall.

"Are you alright?" he asked, using a soft voice much unlike the one he used on stage.

She sniffled. "Oh, I'll be okay… Don't worry about me…"

Lyney stayed silent for a second, watching her wipe her face with her sleeve.

"Would you like a handkerchief?" he asked. "Or some water?"

She sniffled louder. "A handkerchief would be nice…"

Lyney produced one from his sleeve. He walked across the hall to the girl, and knelt before her to give her the handkerchief.

"Here. And don't worry about giving it back, okay?"

"Mhm…" She wiped her face. "Th-thank you."

Lyney stood up, and turned to leave.

"I hate him!" she sobbed. "He's so mean to me."

Lyney quickly sat back down beside her. "Yeah. I'd hate him, too."

"I— I wish he'd just fire me. I want to quit, but… I hate confrontation, y'know?"

Lyney hummed softly. God, his little brother was exactly the same.

"Maybe it's because I know his secret," she murmured.

"Secret?"

"I— I mean, I shouldn't say… He's still my boss…"

Lyney understood, but was still disappointed. This would have been the perfect opportunity—

"But… I don't care. He's such an asshole."

Oh, Lyney had hit the jackpot.

"If it helps you feel better," Lyney murmured gently. "I'm listening."

She took a deep breath. "I saw the secret pictures he keeps in his office drawer. They're… How do I put this tastefully…"

"Don't worry about tasteful."

She sighed. "It's porn. Homemade porn."

Lyney hummed. That wasn't exactly something the Fatui could use against the man…

"But it's not with his wife."

That was.

"I was cleaning in there a few weeks ago, and I don't remember why, but I opened the drawer… And he walked in right as I saw them. He— he yelled at me not to look in his drawers, and I apologized, but… He was so mad." She'd stopped crying, but she still clutched the handkerchief close to her chest.

Lyney nodded, though she could not see him do so.

She took a deep breath and stood up. "I… I feel better now. I should get back to work. Thanks for listening to me, even though I'm just a stranger."

Lyney also stood. "I'll walk with you."

She smiled. "Thank you, again."

Lyney walked beside her as she left the hallway. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Kelly Lemieux," she answered, stuffing the handkerchief into her dress pocket.

"Well, Mademoiselle Lemieux," they stepped into the light. "If you do end up quitting, I heard Hotel Debord is hiring."

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She glanced across the room, at another maid. "You should return to your table. I'll go with my friend."

"Okay, then." Lyney smiled. "Good luck."

She smiled. "Thanks. A lot."

Lyney waved gently as she walked across the room to join her friend, but the moment she turned away, Lyney rushed back to his sister.

He needed her to keep everyone occupied so he could search the office. She was better at stealth than he was, but because of what exactly he was looking for… He'd rather not make his little sister see that.

"Lynette," he whispered.

She turned to him, third glass of soda halfway to her lips.

"Keep him occupied, I'm looking through his office," he whispered quickly.

Lynette narrowed her eyes. "You? You're su—"

Lyney was already heading back to that hallway. Offices were usually on the first floor, and he had seen a gold sign on one of the doors. Was that it?

He approached the door with the sign.

TRUFFAUD

This was absolutely the correct door. Lyney tried the doorknob, praying it was not locked. He could easily pick it, but that was extra time he didn't want to spend here.

When the door opened, Lyney slipped in, and turned the lights on. Time was ticking, and he was likely to be caught very soon, so he got to work.

Lyney quietly opened each drawer, rummaging through them as quickly as he could. He found plenty of business paperwork, coins, stamps, pens, and pencils, but no photos of any sort.

Oh, hopefully they were still in the office. If he'd sneaked in here for nothing…

He couldn't panic yet. There was one last drawer to go through.

Lyney slowly opened the bottommost drawer of the dresser. Stacks of binders had been hastily jammed inside, like someone was trying to hide something underneath.

Lyney carefully tugged each one out and flipped through. Paperwork for clients, notes on various Fontaine laws, photos of evidence. All boring stuff one would expect a lawyer to have in their office.

The last binder, however, was exactly what he was looking for. Inside were probably a hundred raunchy photos. Some did not have anyone's faces in them, most had only the face of Truffaud's mistress—Janet, just as he'd suspected—but a few had both of their faces in them, and those were the ones Lyney took.

He carefully placed them in his pocket, then quickly put everything else back just the way he'd found it. He closed the drawer, stood up, and hurried out of the office.

Nobody was there. Nobody saw him exit. He quickly caught sight of his sister, standing in the corner by herself. Lyney walked up to her, as casual as he could.

"Lynette?" he whispered. "I got it. Let's go."

She nodded. "Let's go," she echoed.

September 15, 8:35pm

Lyney has retrieved some very explicit photos of Horace Truffaud with his mistress. He refuses to let me see them, but he says they're suitable enough for blackmail.

We're heading home now. There's no longer a reason for us to stay.

– Lynette Snezhevna

Lyney finished packing everything back up, then looked over his sister's shoulder to see what she was writing.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded.

The twins grabbed their bags, Lyney collected his cat, then they headed out.

They barely got to the front door when Madame Truffaud rushed up to them.

"Leaving already?" Madame Truffaud looked a bit sad. "I did quite enjoy your company."

Lyney wished to pull her aside and tell her everything. The photos, the affair, the looks her disgusting husband had given her when he thought nobody was looking… But he was bound by his duties to the Fatui. He could only force himself to smile.

"Alas, we have duties to attend to at home. Our little brother is sick, and we need to take care of him." The lie came effortlessly, having already been planned. Hopefully, none of their little brothers were actually sick, but they would be cared for if that were the case.

She nodded. "Well, I hope he gets better soon. It was a pleasure having you!"

"Thanks for the invitation," Lyney smiled.

Madame Truffaud smiled brightly. "Don't go yet, let me fetch some things for you, okay?"

The twins nodded.

The woman hurried away, only to return a few minutes later with two pieces of paper.

"Here's your check," she placed the blue slip into Lynette's hand. "And the recipe you asked for!" she placed a white piece of paper into Lyney's hand.

"Thank you so much," Lyney smiled. "We much appreciate it."

She smiled. "Alright, hurry along. Bye bye!" she waved.

"Bye!" Lyney and Lynette waved back as they exited, stepping out into the cold air of the night. The moon and stars shone down upon Fontaine, and the streetlamps illuminated the way back home.

When they got home, Lyney took his hat off and headed straight into the kitchen. Rosseland jumped out of the hat and followed right behind him.

Lyney cracked open a can of tuna wet food and dumped it onto a plate. "Here you go, darling." Lyney placed the plate in front of her.

Rosseland began to eat her food, and Lyney left the kitchen. He was tired, but happy to be home.

The house was only lit by the fire crackling in the hearth. No other children were downstairs; it was late and the younger ones would already be in bed. The older children tended to retreat to their bedrooms, but they would stay awake for a couple hours more, reading books or working on projects.

The only person downstairs was Father.

Father was still in her seat before the hearth, slumped to the side. Perhaps she was tired; after all, she was very sick.

"Hey, Father," Lyney called. "The mission was successful."

No response.

Lynette also tried to get her attention. "Father?"

…

"Father?!" Lyney rushed around the chair. Father's eyes were closed, and her body was limp in the chair.

Oh no, Father was dead, she'd died while they were gone, and Lyney wasn't there to save her, oh no, what in Teyvat was he going to do?!

Father inhaled deeply, chest expanding with air as she slept peacefully.

Perhaps Lyney had overreacted a bit.

"She's just sleeping," he informed Lynette, oh-so helpfully.

Lynette rolled her eyes. "Of course she is. It's not like she's just going to drop dead one day."

Lyney stopped himself from responding. Of course she wouldn't drop dead now. She still had until February; maybe until March if she was lucky.

"She never sleeps down here," Lynette murmured. "Maybe she fell asleep after we left."

Lyney nodded, still shaking from he sudden fright. "Hey, Father?" He gently touched her shoulder. "Father, wake up."

Father opened her eyes, quickly blinking sleep out of them. "Mm… Lyney? Is— something wrong?" she rasped, still groggy.

"You fell asleep by the hearth," Lyney motioned to the cold fireplace before her. "It's almost eleven now."

She blinked a few times, clearly surprised by this. "Oh. I… I do not remember falling asleep."

Lyney smiled at her, attempting to mask his concern. "Yeah, I do that sometimes. I close my eyes for just a second, and when I open them, it's magically been a few hours."

Lynette nodded. "Are you alright, Father? Didn't sleep well last night?"

Father hummed softly. "Hm. Perhaps… Perhaps I didn't."

Lyney offered a hand to help her up. "Let's get you to bed. You really should rest."

Father took his offered hand, and carefully stood up on her tall heels. Her legs wobbled slightly, but she quickly regained balance.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lynette asked.

Father nodded. "Yes, of course, child. I'm alright. I just need to get to bed."

"We'll take you," Lynette said.

Father sighed. "That won't be necessary."

"Father, that was a statement." Lyney folded his arms. "Not a suggestion."

Father glanced between her children, as if trying to come up with any reason why they shouldn't… But she gave in.

"Alright, then. I'll allow it."

Lyney and Lynette grabbed their bags and Lyney's hat, then followed close behind Father as she headed upstairs. She appeared to be fine now that she was awake, but Lyney would not be taking any chances.

Only when they got to Father's room did she ask them to leave.

"I'm already here," Father pointed out. "I will be alright."

The twins shared a look.

"You're absolutely certain?" Lyney asked.

"Of course I am. Go on, now, you two need your rest as well."

Lyney nodded. "But… What about the mission reports? And the evidence we collected? Should we take that to your office?"

Father held out a hand. "I'll take them now. I will take them to my office in the morning."

Lyney took a moment to retrieve all the mission reports and the photos, then handed them to Father.

"Careful not to look at the photos," he warned. "They're rather explicit."

Father raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any follow up questions. "Very well, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Father," the twins responded in sync.

Father closed her bedroom door.

"Night, Brother," Lynette called to Lyney as she headed to her own room.
"Yeah. Goodnight."

Lynette disappeared into her bedroom, but Lyney remained outside of Father's for a few moments longer.

It was so unlike her to fall asleep like that. And so early, too.

Did that mean her condition was getting worse?

"But I heard… He's cured cancer."

Even if he couldn't help at all… The risk was worth it. Lyney had to convince Father to see Doctor Baizhu.

Chapter Text

"I'm not certain this 'Doctor Baizhu' is as powerful as these rumors make him seem."

Lyney's brow furrowed. "But, Father, you just said it yourself, you haven't been to see him!"

Father sighed. "While I appreciate the thought, I don't believe someone can cure cancer. I've been to several renowned healers—"

Lyney cut her off as he stood from his chair. "Not this one! Trust me, Father, I think you should give him a shot!"

Father was still unconvinced. "Even if he has cured cancer… It would have been early on. I'm at stage four, Lyney." She began to cough, and quickly reached for a tissue.

Lyney stood silently, anxiously watching his father cough blood into the tissue. When she stopped moments later, she placed the stained tissue down with a shaky hand. The chair creaked slightly as she leaned back, her breathing shallow and quick like she was in pain. Knowing the severity of her illness, that was likely the case.

Lyney walked around the desk to stand beside her. He rubbed her shoulder as she caught her breath.

"Even if he can't cure you…  Perhaps he has a remedy for the pain."

Father considered it for a few long moments. The prospect of pain relief seemed to finally convince her, and she agreed. "That… That would be lovely. When do you think we should depart?"

"As soon as possible." Lyney continued to rub her shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave in a week or two?"

Father reached for a notebook. "We… we have some free days in the schedule…" She turned a few pages. "Perhaps we can go in October?" She stifled another cough.

"Will that be soon enough?" Lyney's hand stilled on her shoulder.

Father tensed slightly, and Lyney removed his hand. "I… I don't think so," she rasped. She massaged her throat, breathing shallow. Her breath hitched, and Lyney could predict what happened next.

Lyney grabbed a few tissues and held them to her lips as she began another coughing fit. She quickly took them from him, pressing them tight to her mouth. It almost muffled the noise. Each cough took too much effort from her, and by the end, she was left wheezing.

Lyney took the tissues from her shaky hand and threw them away. "Better?" he murmured.

Father groaned softly, clutching her head as she regained a normal breathing pattern. "Y-yes."

"You should lie down, okay? We can sort out the schedule later."

Father nodded. "Y-yes. We can."

Lyney offered Father his hand, but she merely laughed.

"Now, now. I'm not that weak." Father stood on her own, but allowed Lyney to accompany her to her bedroom. She seemed to appreciate his company.

"Need anything else?" Lyney asked once they'd reached Father's bedroom.

Though the sun still shone through the curtains, Father opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a set of silk pajamas, which she placed on her bed. She didn't answer Lyney instantly, instead sitting in her armchair to take her heels off.

"Something for my throat would be nice," she finally answered, as she began to massage the ball of her left foot.

"Your throat? Hm. We have cough drops in the medicine cabinets," Lyney suggested.

"I believe I used the last ones yesterday," she sighed.

Lyney's eyes narrowed as he began to think of another solution. "All of them? Hm… Tea with honey?"

Father began to massage her other foot. "That… should suffice."

"And if not?"

Father sighed. "Then there's not much we can do."

"Oh, Father, don't say that," Lyney sighed. "I don't want you to be in pain."

"It's just a sore throat," Father started massaging her ankles. "I know pain far worse than this."

Lyney folded his arms. "I still want to help." And there was still something he could do. "Can I try healing you again?"

Father hesitated to answer, and Lyney selfishly hoped she'd say no. He didn't feel like being exhausted to that level again.

"I… I would appreciate it. It helped greatly last time."

Lyney sighed. "Alright." He reached for his Vision, which was attached to his belt loop, and near-instantly pulled his fingers away. It burned scorching hot, full of Pyro energy desperate to be used.

Lyney stepped closer to Father's chair, and she leaned forward, giving him room to work. Lyney moved her hair aside and put his hand around her throat, careful not to squeeze. "Hold still."

Father held her breath.

Lyney carefully channeled his Pyro to just the right spots, waiting for the right moment to let go. He could feel his energy draining, and not just the elemental kind. When Father's muscles relaxed, Lyney slipped his hand off of her, already craving some warm blankets and a long nap.

"Better?"

Father nodded. "Yes, thank you, child." She stood from the chair, already looking better.

"Still want that tea?" Lyney asked.

"Yes, but I can make it myself." Father put a hand on his shoulder. "You may leave now."

Lyney nodded. "Rest well, alright?"

"I will."

Lyney padded out of the room, barely managing to stay conscious. He was almost done with "Living (and Dying) With Terminal Cancer"; perhaps he should read a book about healing magic next.

Maybe the Traveler had a book about that. That would be the perfect excuse to talk to them, Lyney thought with a giggle.

He undressed and curled up in his bed, then cuddled the nearest cat, which happened to be Éclair. Rosseland was hiding out in Lyney's hat, still exhausted from last night's show and mission.

Lyney quickly fell asleep, and stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon.

He was still somewhat tired when he woke up in the evening, but as long as Father was okay, that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

The next day, over some piping hot tea, Father and Lyney went over the schedule for the upcoming weeks. They decided that instead of a simple mission, it would be more fun to make it a trip for the whole family. After all, it had been a while since they'd had a proper vacation, and the younger children had never left Fontaine before.

"It says you and Lynette have a magic show tomorrow," Father tapped the notebook page with her pen.

"We cancelled that," Lyney reminded. After he fell, he and Lynette cancelled their upcoming shows. "And the one on October 1st."

Father crossed them both out. "That's right, I remember that…" She scanned over the new schedule. "I believe that is everything. We're free from now until… The ninth." Father lifted her teacup, about to take the last sip.

Lyney grinned, raising his own teacup. He didn't drink it, just held it out, as if waiting for something.

Father stopped, cup halfway to her lips. "What are you doing?"

He tilted his head and smiled wide. "Humor me?"

Father sighed. She clinked her cup against his, before they both finally drank their last sips of tea.

Knock knock knock.

Father called, "Come in," as she closed the notebook and set it aside.

Lynette opened the door and padded in, carrying a tray with her. "I brought you two some lunch."

The mere idea of lunch made Lyney's stomach growl. "Aww, you shouldn't have," he purred.

Lynette set the tray on the desk; she'd brought two ham sandwiches and two small bowls of salad.

"Looks delicious," Father commented.

Lynette purred. "Thank you, Father." She pulled the third chair closer to the desk and sat down, legs tucked to her chest.

While Lyney began to eat his lunch, Father tried to make conversation with Lynette.

"How was your morning?" Father asked.

Lynette hesitated to answer, having not done anything interesting, it appeared. "I… I made lunch," she motioned to Lyney, who had an embarrassingly large mouthful of ham sandwich.

Father tilted her head. "Is that all?"

Lynette blinked, trying to recall anything else at all. "Uh… I started my period."

Father hummed softly. "Do you have enough supplies?"

"For months."

Lyney shifted slightly in his seat. If Lynette had started, didn't that mean he was due? Though, he usually didn't start until the evening…

He suddenly froze, sandwich halfway to his mouth again as his abdomen twisted painfully.

So much for waiting until the evening.

Father's brow furrowed at the sight of Lyney's sour expression. "Are you alright?"

"Speaking of periods," Lyney hissed slightly, suddenly standing up. "Be right back."

"You too, huh?" Lynette called after him as Lyney rushed to the bathroom.

Lyney returned several minutes later, and sat back down like nothing had happened.

"Welcome back," Lynette greeted.

Father smiled briefly at him. "Yes. Welcome back. Lynette and I have been having a lovely chat about her flowers."

Lyney tilted his head. "Oh?"

Lynette nodded. "Yes. My daisies are very healthy."

Lyney shifted in his seat, bringing his knees to his chest. "So your new technique is working, then?"

Lynette huffed, tail flicking in irritation. "Come on. Enough talk about flowers. Father, Lyney…" she gestured at the papers all over the desk. "What exactly are you two working on?"

"You're smart," Lyney teased. "Perhaps you can figure it out on your own."

Lynette glared at him. "Not when I have nothing to go off of. But if I had to guess…" Her ear twitched. "I would say it's something to do with the family."

"What makes you say that?" Father asked.

Lynette shrugged. "Just a hunch. Figuring out a date for our next barbecue?"

"Not quite," Father laughed. "Though we might be able to have one." She leaned back in her chair. "We're planning a family vacation."

Lynette tilted her head. "Where?"

"Liyue," Father answered.

Lynette's eyes widened. "That's… Unexpected. What for?" She looked at Lyney; perhaps she was recalling the conversation with the Truffauds. The one about a certain doctor…

Before Lyney had the time to come up with an excuse, Father, ever the experienced liar, saved the day.

"The Liyuean weather is lovely this time of year," Father reasoned. "It's not Lantern Rite, so there won't be as many crowds."

Lyney nodded. "Father suggested it!" Yet another lie added to the ever-growing pile. "It's been a while since the whole family had a fun trip, after all."

Father, who had not suggested the idea, looked a bit confused. Lynette didn't notice.

Lynette hummed. "Yes… It has. That sounds like a lovely idea. When would we leave?"

"We're figuring that out right now," Lyney informed. "We're free from now until October 9th, though we might be able to clear everything until the 12th." Finally, he picked his sandwich back up, and took a huge bite.

"Careful," Lynette teased. "You're gonna choke."

Purely to spite his sister, Lyney proceeded to shove the rest of his sandwich into his mouth at once, much to Father's horror.

"You look like a chipmunk," Lynette commented.

Father, rendered completely speechless by her son's unconventional sandwich-eating methods, chose not to say anything, even after Lyney managed to swallow without choking.

"Anyway," Lyney spoke up. "We need to finalize the dates and come up with a packing list. Should we do that tomorrow?"

Father nodded. "Yes… That sounds good."

Lynette nodded too. "I'll join you, then." A statement, not a question.

"I was just about to offer," Father smiled. "Thank you for lunch. It was delicious."

"You're welcome." Lynette began to gather the dishes, including their empty teacups. "I'm glad you liked it." She stacked everything on the tray, then stood to take it back to the kitchen. "Oh. Lyney?"

"Yes, dearest little sister?" he purred.

She tilted her head. "Take care of yourself, okay? I'd hate to see you getting sick because you don't take care of yourself." Lynette finally exited the room, and Lyney waited until her footsteps were far away before he spoke again.

"What was that about?" he whispered. Everyone was concerned lately, it seemed.

Father coughed loudly, like she'd been holding that back while Lynette was there. Lyney was quick to pass the tissue box to her.

"I— I don't know," Father rasped, before coughing again. "Have you— Have you not been taking care of yourself?"

No. "Of course I am," he lied.

Father nodded. "A-alright." She coughed loudly again, quickly pressing a wad of tissues to her mouth to prevent anything from staining the papers.

Lyney could only watch as she hacked and coughed, finally putting the tissues down to gasp for air.

"Throat hurt?" he asked.

She coughed. "Y-yes."

Lyney stood. "Here. Let me help with that."

Father leaned forward. "Thank you."

Perhaps she wouldn't have agreed if she knew the repercussions Lyney faced each time. But what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Lyney could handle it.

Tired. Lyney was so tired. He'd expected this side effect, but it was still an inconvenience. What he hadn't expected was that it would make his cramps worse, to the point he was now having trouble getting to sleep due to the pain.

He lay in his bed late that evening, pressing his hand to his lower abdomen. He had a Pyro Vision, so it was like a built-in heating pad. Though it required even more energy. Perhaps he could exhaust himself enough that he just fell asleep.

Knock knock knock.

"Brother?"

Lyney sighed. "Yes, Lynette?"

"Can I come in?"

Lyney ran his free hand over his face. "Yes."

Lynette opened the door and padded in. She handed him something, which Lyney quickly realized was a heating pad. It was one of the first things she'd sewn by herself, some teal cotton fabric stitched together and stuffed with rice.

"Would you warm this up?" she asked.

Lyney took the rice pad and held it tight between his palms, using his Vision to heat it up. His poor sister curled up under the covers beside him, clutching her abdomen tight.

"Here you go," Lyney said as he placed it in his sister's hands.

Lynette clutched the heating pad to her abdomen. "Thank you…"

"Of course." Lyney kissed her cheek. He rolled over to lie directly on top of her, but she shoved him away. "Aww, Lynette!"

"Stop being annoying," she scolded.

"Never." Lyney rested his head on her shoulder. He yawned, stretched, and was shoved away once again. Lyney swatted at her, and she retaliated, landing a hit right on his chest.

"Ow!"

Lynette snickered. "Sorry." She did not sound very sorry.

Lyney rolled over to face away from her. "Hmph. You're so mean."

"Good. Now," Lynette nestled into the warm blankets, "hold still. Or I'm gonna kick you out."

"Kick me out?! It's my room!"

Lynette purred slightly, before she rolled over to spoon her brother. "Nope. My room now." her heating pad pressed against Lyney's lower back as she snuggled close.

"Then where will I sleep?"

Lynette shrugged. "In the hallway, I suppose."

Lyney yawned, eyes slowly falling closed. "You're so cruel. So cruel."

His sister purred softly. "Go to sleep. We have to get up early, you know…"

"Oh? Since when were you so eager to get up early?"

"Since we had a family vacation to plan, of course."

The twins joined Father in her office early the next morning. Still in their pajamas, they finished all of the planning. They confirmed that, yes, they did have enough mora saved up, though they might have to skip out on some luxuries for a little while.

Father closed the notebooks and began to put everything away. Lynette got up to help, but Lyney stayed in his seat, half zoned out.

Would he get to see the Traveler in Liyue? He hoped so, but it was far from likely, as they were busy in Natlan.

Lyney had never been to Natlan, but he knew how hot and sunny it was. Ooh, perhaps the Traveler would have a nice tan the next time he saw them. They looked so pretty with a tan.

"Lyney. May I ask why you are smiling like that?"

Lyney blinked, zoning back into reality.

"No reason, Father. Just thinking."

Lynette snorted. "Yeah. Probably about the Traveler."

Lyney flushed. "N-no!"

"Don't lie," Lynette teased. "You always start smiling like a fool when you're thinking about them."

Lyney buried his face in his hands to hide his flushed face.

Father turned to look out the window. "Perhaps we will see them while we're in Liyue. I wouldn't get my hopes up, though. They are quite busy in Natlan, last I heard."

Lyney nodded. "Yeah…" He would get sad if he thought about this anymore, so he changed the subject. "Anyway. About the trip. Since we're going to tell everyone at once…"

Father turned back around to face her son. "Go on."

"I want to tell Freminet seperately. The others tend to get loud when they're really excited, and I don't want to overwhelm him."

Father nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Lynette."

Lynette flicked her tail. "Yes, Father?"

"Bring Freminet up here." Father motioned to the door. "We can tell him now."

Lynette nodded, and quickly left the office.

Lyney leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. He still felt tired, despite getting more than enough sleep the night before.

The tissue box rustled as Father quickly grabbed a handful; Lyney knew she was about to start coughing. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on any other sound, but there was nothing to latch onto.

Father quickly finished coughing, and Lyney opened his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

Father nodded. "Y-yes. I'm alright."

"Would you like me to make some tea?" Lyney stood up.

"Perhaps later." Father motioned to his seat. "But thank you for the offer."

Lynette returned at that moment, with Freminet just behind her. He clutched Pers tight to his chest, looking slightly concerned but not anxious.

Lyney stepped away from his seat, allowing both of his siblings to sit down. There were only two seats in front of Father's desk.

"What's going on?.." Freminet asked as he sat down beside Lynette. "Everything is okay, right?"

"Of course it is," Lyney put his hand on Freminet's shoulder. "Everything is perfectly fine."

Freminet seemed to relax a bit.

Father spoke, catching Freminet's attention. "Your brother is right. Everything is fine."

"Then…" Freminet glanced around the room. He tilted his head slightly as he looked at Father, asking a silent question.

"We're going to Liyue," Father informed. "A family vacation."

Freminet was silent for a moment, eyes wide as he processed.

"We're going to Liyue?"

Father nodded. "Yes. Your brother asked that we inform you first."

Freminet looked up at Lyney, who grinned.

"When? For— for how long?" the boy asked. They'd been to Liyue before, during Lantern Rite, but they didn't know about other big Liyuean holidays.

"We'll be there for two weeks," Lyney announced. "We leave on the twenty-third, get there on the twenty-fourth, and we leave on October fifth. We'll be home by the sixth."

Freminet's eyes widened. "O–oh, that means…"

"You get to spend your birthday in Liyue!"

Freminet smiled. For a brief second, he actually smiled.

"Sounds fun, right?" Lyney purred.

Freminet nodded.

Lynette purred softly.

Father passed a small stack of blank paper across the desk. "Here, I expect you three to create a packing list for everyone. I will announce the news after dinner."

Freminet picked up the paper, turning it in his hands as if to check whether it really was blank or not.

Lyney nodded. "Don't worry, Father. We'll get that done."

Lynette stood up and headed towards the door, Freminet followed close behind her. Lyney stayed put for a moment longer, just in case Father would suddenly ask him for anything.

"Go on," Father motioned to the door. "I will be alright."

Lyney wanted to protest, wanted to stay and insist he do something to help… But he left anyway, following his siblings down the hall to their bedrooms.

The three (and a very "helpful" Rosseland) spent all day preparing a packing list between their chores. Once they were done preparing the list, they had to make a copy for everyone.

"Rosseland, Rosseland, stop," Lyney tugged the papers away from her sharp teeth for the fifteenth time. "Not helping."

"Is too helping," Lynette remarked from across Freminet's bedroom, finishing another copy of the list.

Freminet was sitting on his bed, using the back of a boring textbook as a hard surface to write on. Except, the way his pencil was moving… It didn't look like he was making another copy of the packing list.

"Whatchu drawing?" Lyney asked, causing Freminet to hide the paper behind him.

"Nothing…"

Lyney knew better than to pry; Freminet would likely show him and Lynette when he was done, anyway.

"Alright. Finish the lists, okay? Then you can draw as much as you want."

Freminet nodded. "Okay…"

Lyney smiled at his baby brother. Well, not-so-baby, he supposed. Freminet would be eighteen in exactly a week. Oh well. Nothing much would change, except for the fact that Freminet would be legally allowed to drink alcohol.

"Done," Lynette announced, holding up her papers.

Lyney did the same a moment later; his papers all had tiny puncture marks in the top left corner from Rosseland's sharp teeth.

"Almost done," Freminet murmured, writing frantically.

Knock knock knock knock!

"Yes?" Lyney called in response to the little knocks on Freminet's bedroom door.

"Dinnertime!" Estella's little voice called in response.

Lyney stood up, handed Lynette his finished lists, and then went to open the door.

"Lynette and Freminet will be down in a few minutes," Lyney told her. "What are we having?"

"Beef stew," she informed.

Lyney sighed. "Oh. Yum." He was not too excited, but a warm meal did sound nice. "Hear that?" he called to his other siblings. "Beef stew."

Lynette hummed in interest, but Freminet's shoulders slumped.

"I'll pick the tomatoes out of your bowl," Lyney reassured his brother, before following Estella downstairs.

"Father said you guys have been busy all day!" she exclaimed. "I asked, 'With what?' but she said it's a surprise, but…" Estella looked up at Lyney with her big, round eyes.

Lyney purred in amusement. "Hey, you think I'm gonna say anything?"

Estella pouted. "Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"My lips are sealed." Lyney patted the top of his sister's head. "But Father will be telling you all after dinner, anyway."

"Aww."

Lyney laughed. "Come on, little star, let's go eat. I'm hungry."

After dinner was over, Father discreetly excused Freminet and Lynette from the table, allowing them to go upstairs. As both of them had issues with noises, and they needed to get the packing lists, it was the best option.

"Father, what's going on?" Chapleau asked, a note of concern in his voice. He was like Freminet in some ways, always prepared for the worst.

"Nothing's wrong," Lyney reassured his brother.

Chapleau nodded, the tension leaving his shoulders.

Once the children had quieted down, and were paying attention, Father cleared her throat. "We're going on a vacation."

"A VACATION?!" five voices yelled at once.

"To Liyue Harbor."

Somehow, despite Lyney's expectations, the children remained seated. They did cheer, and Foltz rocked back and forth in his seat, but nobody got too energetic.

Father explained when they would leave, how long it would be until they returned, where they would be staying, and that they would each be given a packing list to follow.

"That means no Fatui duties until we return. No missions, no tasks, nothing. Take note of anything useful you see, but don't go out of your way to obtain information." Father smiled. "This is a real vacation." Father stood up, and headed upstairs.
"Yay!" Estella got out of her seat. "A real vacation!" She started jumping around, her braids bouncing up and down and her feet stomping against the ground.

Chapleau stood up. "Come on, now, settle down." He took Estella's hand. "You can run around outside until you calm down."

"Okay!" she ran to put her shoes on.

"Anyone else need to get some excitement out?" Chapleau asked, glancing at all of the younger kids.

Heloir pointed at Foltz, who quietly got out of his chair and went to get his shoes.

Chapleau took those two outside, and Lyney headed towards the stairs. Suddenly, he was shoved over, and Sylvestre ran up the stairs before him.

"Hey!" Lyney exclaimed. "Watch where you're going!"

Sylvestre did not answer.

Lyney rolled his eyes, suspecting for a brief moment that Sylvestre pushed him on purpose… But best not to dwell on that. He didn't care… Much.

Besides, he had a vacation and a consultation with a famous doctor to prepare for.

Lyney and Lynette distributed the copies of the packing list that night. Over the next few days, Lynette asked some of her friends if they would be willing to take care of the cats during their vacation, and Lyney helped the younger children pack their stuff and prepare for the trip.

He'd spent so much time helping the younger children, in fact, that he didn't get around to packing his suitcase until the day before they had to leave. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to pack. He'd packed everything except for his clothes, which he was currently working on.

Lyney dug out a coat from underneath his bed, silently contemplating whether or not to bring it. Would it get cold?

Lynette watched him from her spot atop his bed, eyes narrowed. "Please tell me you're going to wash that."

"We'll see." Lyney buried his nose into the fabric, inhaling loudly. He pulled back with a wrinkled nose and a face full of Rosseland fur. "Uhh. Yeah, it's getting washed." He threw it towards the door.

"Or, y'know, you could just take everything out from under your bed and wash it."

"Can't be bothered." Lyney tossed another pair of socks onto the growing laundry pile by the door.

Lynette made an exaggerated gag noise, which Lyney ignored.

"You're gross, Brother."

"Don't care." He only had time (and energy) to wash one load of laundry, and it would only be the clothes he was bringing with him.

Lynette hopped off his bed. "Here, I'll wash this." She scooped up the laundry pile. "You pack what's already clean, okay?"

Lyney huffed. "Fine, fine."

Lynette exited the room, and Lyney shoved the clean laundry into his suitcase.

Rosseland meowed loudly, trying to climb in with his clothes.

Lyney pushed her away. "Sorry, baby, I'm not taking you."

"Mrrow!" Rosseland complained.

"Rosseland. You're too fat to fit in here," he teased. "And you won't like it on the boat."

Lyney zipped up his suitcase before Rosseland tried to shove her fat self into it again, and moved to check the list. He'd checked off everything except for some of the clothes, so he was almost done.

It was Sunday, which was leftover night in the House of the Hearth. While Lynette was doing his laundry, he could go eat a quick dinner… Perhaps they still had some stew from the other night.

The golden sunset filtered through all of the windows, casting a warm glow over the whole house. A perfect relaxing atmosphere, especially since Lyney had finally finished packing. He could rest for the rest of the evening, and perhaps he could even go to bed early!

All of the children had been instructed to take their luggage down to the living room, to ensure they wouldn't forget anything in tomorrow morning's rush to catch the aquabus, so Lyney grabbed his suitcase and duffel bag.

He passed by Freminet's open door, and upon glancing inside, he caught sight of Freminet's open duffel bag, full of stuffed animals. It seemed he wasn't the only one to finish packing at the last minute.

"How's it going?" Lyney asked, poking his head in.

"Fine…" Freminet picked up the last plushie off his bed, a black cat with white paws he'd named "Mittins." (Not "Mittens", Freminet thought the extra "I" was cuter.)

Sylvestre was standing in the room by Freminet's bed. Lyney made an effort to look away from him.

Freminet tried to fit Mittins in his overfull bag. He set her on top of the other plushies, then tried to do up the zipper. Unfortunately, the zipper wouldn't zip all the way, so he tried to push Mittins deeper into the bag. He shoved and pushed as hard as he could, but to no avail.

"I can't get her to fit," Freminet whined. He looked at Sylvestre, as his hands were empty, unlike Lyney's. "Can you help?…"

Sylvestre scoffed. "Surely you don't need to bring all of your toys. How old are you?" he remarked.

Freminet's shoulders slumped. "I… I suppose I can leave her home…" He stared at the plushie in his hands, hesitant to let go, as if parting with her was going to cause him physical pain.

"Hey!" Lyney suddenly dropped his bags. "You can bring as many plushies as you want. Here," he took Mittins from Freminet's hand. Lyney unzipped his suitcase and tucked her in. "There. Now everyone can come."

Freminet smiled. Sylvestre rolled his eyes.

Lyney glared at Sylvestre, pointed sharply at the door, and tilted his head in a gesture that meant, "follow me."

Sylvestre followed Lyney outside the room, where he was promptly cornered against a wall.

"Don't talk to my brother like that," Lyney hissed. "He can bring as many plushies as he wants, doesn't matter how old he is, and it's certainly none of your business."

"Okay, okay, god," Sylvestre held his hands up in surrender. "He can do whatever he wants. I just think some of the things he does are a waste of time."

Every single word that comes out of your mouth is a waste of time, Lyney thought, but did not say aloud. "Whatever. Just… just finish packing," Lyney mumbled. And keep your nasty comments to yourself. Also not said aloud, but it was written clearly on his expression.

Sylvestre rushed back to his bedroom, clearly not wanting to be around Lyney anymore.

Lyney scoffed. Once he calmed down, he forced a smile and headed back into Freminet's room.

"Alright, Freminet," he greeted. "How much packing is left?"

Freminet glanced at his paper. "That's it," he mumbled.

"You're sure?" Lyney asked.

Freminet thought for a moment. "Y-yeah. I'm packed. What about you?"

Lyney shrugged. "Mostly. I still have to…" He paused. Freminet's eyes were brimming with tears. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Lyney knelt beside him.

Freminet sniffled.

"Oh, it's not about what Sylvestre said, is it?" Lyney murmured.

Freminet wiped his face. "N-no," he lied.

"Come on, don't lie to me."

Freminet buried his face in his sleeve. "He— he's right, I should… I should grow up. I'll be an adult in a couple days, and—"

"Fremi…" Lyney pulled his brother into a hug. "Just… Just ignore him. You're fine just how you are." Lyney didn't say it, but he didn't want Freminet to grow up. Sure, Freminet could be naive, annoyingly so sometimes, but Lyney thought it was adorable!

"You're sure?.."

"Of course!" Lyney squeezed tighter. "Promise. Even when you're eighteen."

Freminet sniffled again. "Thanks…" He rested his head against Lyney's shoulder, not letting go.

Lyney purred. "Are you done packing?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good." Lyney purred softly. "Me too. So I can stay here as long as you need."

"Yeah… Sounds good."

The sun had completely set, and the moonlight was now streaming in through the windows. Freminet had kicked Lyney out of his bedroom, reasoning that he wanted to go to bed early. Lyney couldn't blame him, he had the same intentions.

First, though… He had a strange, nagging feeling that he had to check on Father.

He quietly padded down the hallway, approaching Father's closed door. Perhaps she was already asleep, Lyney didn't want to disturb her.

He should be very quiet.

Lyney cracked the door, slowly peeking in.

"Lyney? Is— is that you?" Father rasped from her bed, clearly not asleep. Her voice trembled just a bit, as if something was wrong.

Lyney pushed the door open farther, allowing the hallway light to stream in and illuminate the room. "Yeah, it's me. Is everything alright?"

Father was curled up in bed, under one of her blankets. The top blanket had been pushed down to the foot of the bed. Father tried to sit up and reach for it, but let out a hiss of pain and fell back to the pillow.

"Father!" Lyney rushed to her side. "Careful, careful," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, panting. "Y-yes. Just a bad pain day, that's all."

Lyney's brow furrowed. "Do you want me to bring you some medicine?"

She shook her head. "No. I already took something."

Lyney glanced at the foot of her bed, and saw the blanket bunched up there. Perhaps she'd put it there while she napped during the afternoon, but it was a cooler night.

She tried to sit up and reach for the blanket again, but Lyney placed a hand on her chest, and slowly pushed her back to the bed.

"I've got it." Lyney moved to the foot of her bed and pulled the blanket up. Quietly, he tucked both blankets and the sheet around her.

Father breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Lyney smiled. "You're welcome. Sleep well, okay?"

Father hummed softly. "You too, child. Now, back to bed with you." She coughed slightly. "And take George."

Lyney turned around to see George, their youngest cat, padding into the room, his orange fur almost glowing in the hallway light.

"Oh, Georgie," Lyney muttered, scooping the kitten up. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Lyney."

George meowed.

Father chuckled. "Goodnight, George."

Lyney stood in the doorway for just a moment longer than he should have, but finally exited the room, closing the door behind him. Now that Father was (mostly) alright, he could go to bed.

Lyney set George down on the floor, petting his head. "Night night, Georgie."

"Mew!"

Lyney purred. He started heading to his bedroom, but George wound around his feet, blocking his path.

Lyney took another step, and George followed close behind.

"Sleeping with me tonight?" he asked.

George meowed in response, rubbing his cheek against Lyney's calf.

"Alright. I'm sure Rosseland won't mind."

Lyney went all the way down the hall to turn the light off, then, in the dark, he returned to his room to finally go to sleep.

Lyney let the kitten into his bedroom, and left the door cracked just a bit so George could leave if he changed his mind. Lyney climbed into bed, and George settled by his feet. Rosseland lay by his chest as usual, and Lyney petted her before he started falling asleep.

"I'm gonna miss you while I'm on vacation," he purred at Rosseland.

"Mrrow…"

Lyney knew for sure what that meant. "I'll miss you, too."

Chapter Text

Lyney woke up to a sharp, prickly sensation in his left foot. For a brief, terrifying moment, he thought the nerve pain was back, before he opened his eyes to see George biting his toes through the blanket.

"Stop that, Georgie," he scolded, tugging his foot away from the kitten's sharp mouth.

George leaned back, wiggled his haunches in the air, and pounced, needle-sharp teeth digging through the blanket.

"Owww!" Lyney pulled his foot away again.

Rosseland, who was curled up by Lyney's chest, stood up, walked over to the foot of the bed, and raised a paw above George's head. George shrank back, fluffing his orange fur out.

"Don't fight on top of me," Lyney scolded. "Rosseland, be nice."

Rosseland backed off. George hissed and jumped off Lyney's bed, scurrying out the door as fast as his legs would go.

Lyney rolled over, intent on going back to sleep. It was still dark outside, he didn't need to wake up… Unless, of course, they had to leave early to go on a vacation.

Lyney shot out of bed, startling poor Rosseland as he rushed to get dressed as fast as humanly possible. He went over everything in his head. He'd packed everything: enough clothes, a couple of towels, toiletries, a few books, an extra blanket, plenty of mora, even a birthday gift for Sylvestre as his birthday was on October 4th.

Wait, what about Freminet's birthday gift?!

Lyney quickly dug through his linen drawer; he'd hidden the gift so Freminet wouldn't accidentally find it.

The tool case rattled loudly as Lyney pulled it from its spot. Lyney had bought an empty one, as Freminet had been needing a better place to store some of his tools, but he had tossed some candy into it as a treat.

Rosseland meowed at him from underneath the bed.

"Bye bye, Rosseland!" Lyney called as he left his bedroom. "I love you!"

"Mrrow!"

Lyney rushed downstairs to stuff the tool case into his bag. Father was already downstairs, along with Chapleau, the two were sitting at the dining table with cups of steaming tea.

"Good morning, Lyney!" Chapleau called, waving at Lyney as he rushed into the living room.

"Morning," Lyney answered, stuffing the tool case into the very bottom of his suitcase.

"Would you like some black tea?" Chapleau asked.

Lyney stopped to consider. "Hm. No thanks, I need to wake everyone up. The sooner we leave, the better!"

Father hummed. "Good idea. But perhaps you should pause for a minute." She gestured at his front. "Fix your shirt."

"Huh?" Lyney blinked at her, completely confused. "It's clean."

Father chuckled. "That's not the problem. It is inside-out and backwards."

Lyney looked down. Sure enough, Father was correct—the center back seam was sticking out on the front of his shirt.

"Ah. Dang it."

Father and Chapleau chuckled at him as he took his shirt off right there, quickly turning it the right way before putting it back on.

"Much better," Father praised. "Now. If you want to wake your siblings, go ahead."

Lyney nodded. "Yes, Father!" Lyney quickly ran up the stairs, heading straight for Lynette's room.

"Lynette! Lynette!" he yelled as he burst into her room.

Lynette groaned loudly, rolling over in her comfy blankets. "Go awaaaay."

Lyney shook her. "Come on, we have to get up so we can leave!"

Lynette reluctantly sat up. "Fine, fine. Go away so I can get dressed."

Lyney darted out of her room, heading for Freminet's room next.

"Fremi! Freminet!" he shook Freminet awake. "Come on, come on, we have to leave soon!"

Freminet whimpered as he awoke, rubbing his blue eyes before he looked up at his brother. "Oh. You sound excited," he pointed out.

"Pfft. Of course I am. It's gonna be fun!"

Lyney woke all of his siblings up, except Foltz, who was already dressed and claimed he'd been awake since three in the morning. Lyney helped Estella get dressed; she had stayed up late and was now so tired she almost fell over trying to stand up.

"You're lucky I'm strong enough to carry you," Lyney joked as he picked his youngest sister up.

Estella yawned and nuzzled into his neck.

Lyney took Estella downstairs, nearly stumbling a few times, then placed her down on the couch beside Lynette.

"Is that everyone?" Father asked.

"No, we're still missing a few," Lyney answered. Olivier and Manet were still upstairs; if they weren't down soon, Lyney would have to go back upstairs to get them.

Freminet, still blinking sleep out of his eyes, sat down on the couch beside Lynette. He leaned against her, almost falling asleep right there.

"Go eat some breakfast," Lyney encouraged. "There's cereal and sandwich stuff out on the counter."

Freminet whimpered slightly.

"Go on," Lynette poked the boy's side. "You need to eat."

Freminet stood up, headed into the kitchen to make some food for himself. Some of the other children were already sitting at the table with their breakfast. Chapleau had already eaten breakfast, so he was washing the dishes.

Lyney knew he should have felt hungry. He should have been eating. But his stomach didn't feel right.

"Lynette," Father started. "I never did ask. Who have you asked to take care of the house while we are gone?"

"Miss Furina," Lynette answered. "Navia and Clorinde might join her whenever they're available."

"Hm. I see."

"I've already given Furina the spare key, so we don't need to wait for her," Lynette poked Estella back awake so she could go eat. "And multiple copies of the feeding schedule."

Father nodded. "Good. I suppose we can leave once everyone finishes breakfast."

"Yes!" Lyney beamed.

"How long will it take?" Manet asked.

"Hm…" Lyney thought about it for a moment. "We'll go to the southern boat port, head to Lumidouce Harbor, and from there we'll go through Yilong Wharf and Qiaoying Village—those are in Chenyu Vale—then we'll take another boat to Wangshu Inn. We'll stay the night there before making the long trip all the way down to Liyue Harbor, where we should have time to eat dinner before we go to Bailu Guesthouse, which is where we will stay for the whole trip."

Manet's green eyes went wide, emphasized even more by his round glasses. "Whoa! That sounds like it's gonna take forever!"

Lyney waved a hand. "It'll be over before you know it! Just one blink, and boom! We're in Liyue."

Unfortunately, it did seem to take forever. After wrangling all of the younger children and making sure they had everyone's luggage, they left the house, and were halfway down the street when Olivier shouted, "I forgot my shoes!" and ran back home to put shoes on.

"How in the world did that boy forget his shoes?" Father asked, incredulous. "Surely he'd feel the bricks through his socks."

"This is not the first time," Lyney commented, watching Olivier as he went inside the house. "Probably not even the tenth time, either."

"This is a regular occurrence?!"

"Yes, Father, it is."

After Olivier got his shoes, they headed down to the southern port of the Court of Fontaine. Luckily nobody else had forgotten anything so important, so they took little time loading everything and everyone onto the boat.

"Liyue, huh?" the captain asked.

"How did you know?" Heloir's eyes widened.

The captain laughed heartily. "Why else would you be traveling to Lumidouce Harbor so early?"

"Good point."

Lyney curled into Lynette's side as the boat set off, the slight rocking almost putting him to sleep.

Almost.

The motor whirred, and his siblings laughed and talked loudly. Now, Lyney didn't want them to stop talking, he was happy they were having fun, but… If they knew how to talk a little quieter, that would have been great.

They arrived at Lumidouce Harbor at exactly noon, and instantly had to get off the boat. Father and her oldest children helped the staff unload all of the luggage, while Heloir was in charge of keeping the youngest four out of the way.

"Family vacation, huh?" one of the security guards asked as they headed to the lift.

Chapleau answered before Lyney could. "Yes! A much-needed one, too. Oh, don't mind the younger ones, they rarely get to go anywhere. They're quite excited."

"I'm hungry!" Foltz complained.

"We'll eat when we get to our next stop," Freminet reassured. "Yilong Wharf had good food, if I remember correctly…"

"I remember it being good, too," Lynette said. "It's unlikely both of us would remember it wrong."

"Good food?" Estella squeaked. "Eee, I can't wait!"

After the second boat trip, they got off at Yilong Wharf, Chenyu Vale.

The air in Liyue was warmer than Lyney expected it to be. He'd never been in the area during autumn, only in winter. The humidity, however, was just what he was used to, if not a bit less.

He helped little Estella off the boat, held her small hands so she could regain her balance on the dock.

"Wow!" the girl exclaimed, eyes wide as she took in the new world around her.

Lyney purred. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Lynette and Freminet stepped off the boat behind them, each carrying an extra suitcase.

"Ah, thank you," Lyney took his bag from his sister, and Estella took hers from Freminet.

They were finally out of Fontaine, though the journey wasn't over yet. After they ate lunch, they'd have to cross Chenyu Vale and board yet another boat.

"I thought you said it wouldn't take forever?" Manet whined to Lyney.

Oh, Lyney had said that, hadn't he. Whoops.

Lyney cleared his throat. "Ahem. Well, what I meant was, it'll feel like it didn't take long when you remember it later!"

"That makes no sense!"

"I mean, I don't remember it being so long," Lyney tried to defend himself. "And I've made the round trip before."

"You have a bad memory!" Olivier huffed.

"Hey, I'm not the one who forgot my shoes and didn't remember until we had already left."

Olivier decided to shut up.

At least the food was good. The family ordered some tea eggs and tea-smoked squab from a street food vendor, then sat down to eat.

"They're obsessed with tea here!" Foltz said loudly.

"Foltz!" Lyney scolded. "Don't say things like that."

A local overheard, and she laughed softly. "Naturally, we're obsessed; we grow the best tea in the world!"

Lyney, still embarrassed from Foltz's unnecessarily loud comment, shrank back between Lynette and Estella to quietly eat his lunch.

"Lyney?" Estella asked sweetly.

"Yes, little star?" Lyney asked.

"What kind of bird is a 'squab'?"

Lyney hesitated before answering. Estella loved animals, and might get upset if Lyney told her exactly what a squab was. But, she'd find out eventually.

"Um. A young pigeon."

She tilted her head. "How young?"

"Like… Only a few weeks old," Lyney said, cautiously.

"So… Baby pigeons?" Estella asked.

"Not quite that young," Lynette said. "Like kid pigeons."

"Ohh." Estella stared down at her plate.

For a very tense moment, Lyney thought she might start crying.

"Yummy!" Estella continued eating, even faster than before. "It tastes even better now!"

Nevermind, these were House of the Hearth children. He shouldn't have expected anything else.

They rented a cart to haul all of their luggage, and made the trip across beautiful Chenyu Vale, through the lively Qiaoying Village, and finally made it to that rickety dock, where a boat would take them to Wangshu Inn.

Unfortunately, this was a route for small boats, so the family would have to be split up. Plus, the complaints of "I'm hungry" and "I'm tired" had started again.

Lyney was ready for this to be over.

"Children," Father called. "Haven't I taught you better than to complain?"

Everyone fell silent.

Lyney sighed with relief. "Thank you, Father," he whispered.

Father nodded.

In complete silence, everyone boarded the boats. Lyney, Lynette, Chapleau, Estella, Heloir, and Foltz boarded one, while Father, Freminet, Sylvestre, Olivier, and Manet boarded the other.

Lyney hoped Father would be okay. Nobody else knew how to make sure she was okay but him.

He met Father's gaze from across the river. She gave him a subtle nod, a silent I'll be fine.

Lyney hoped she would be.

He cuddled close to Lynette as the boat set off. The man steering their small boat didn't speak to them, more focused on getting to their destination.

"Brother. Are you alright?" Lynette asked.

Lyney nodded. "Just tired."

"Are you sure?" she murmured. "You know, I'm your sister, you can tell me if something's wrong."

Lyney smiled. "Nothing's wrong."

Liar.

When they finally got off the boat at Wangshu Inn, everyone was exhausted. Estella even looked on the verge of tears.

"Are you alright, little star?" Lyney asked gently, kneeling in front of the girl.

She sniffled. "I know Father said not to complain, but I'm hungry."

Lyney patted her head. "We'll go get our rooms, then we'll get something to eat, okay?"

Estella nodded. "Okay…"

Father led the family inside the inn, where, luckily, it wasn't crowded.

Father talked with the receptionist for a few minutes, while all of the siblings silently hoped there would be enough rooms for everyone.

"Alright… There are two rooms available." The receptionist sounded a bit unsure. "One with two double beds, and one with three double beds." She glanced over the group, quickly counting them. She seemed to get confused, as the younger children were moving around, plus, there were just so many of them.

"There's eleven of us," Father said helpfully.

"Eleven… Hm… Maybe you can put three of the little ones in a bed together?" she suggested.

"Yes, that could work," Father hummed. She turned to glance over her children. "We'll have to figure out which three would not fight, of course."

The lady chuckled softly.

"We'll take those rooms for one night," Father concluded.

After another few minutes of discussing the fees, Father paid for the rooms.

"Wait, who's gonna be in which room?" Sylvestre asked.

"The girls could take the smaller room," Chapleau suggested. "And us boys can use the bigger one."

And have to share with Sylvestre? No thanks, Lyney thought.

Sylvestre seemed to be thinking the same thing; he shot a glare in Lyney's direction.

Lyney stuck his tongue out at Sylvestre before turning away.

"Lynette and I are staying together," Lyney put an arm around his sister's shoulder.

"Yes. I suppose I should have assumed that much." Chapleau ruffled Estella's hair when she hugged his leg.

Father spoke up. "I can go to the smaller room with you two. Which means one more person can come with us."

Lyney met Freminet's gaze. He grinned at his little brother.

"Fremiii?"

Freminet nodded.

"Well, that's settled, then," Lyney beamed.

Father nodded. "Here's the room keys." She handed one to Lyney, and one to Chapleau. "I will go order food for everyone."

"We'll get the luggage upstairs," Lyney motioned to all of them. "Make sure not to get anything too spicy."

Father nodded. She set off, while everyone began to haul the luggage upstairs to their rooms. It didn't take long to find their rooms, and it barely took any time to get everyone's luggage into the correct ones.

Father quickly found them, letting them know she'd ordered dinner and that they should all come outside to eat.

"You're the best," Chapleau praised, right as his stomach growled loudly. "I'm starving."

"Yeah. Me too," Lyney agreed.

Father led them all outside and to a large table, where multiple chairs had been pulled up to seat all eleven of them.

Lyney sat down, eyes fixed on the distant sunset. The sky was pink and orange and purple, wispy clouds framing the orange sun as it set behind the Liyuean mountains.

The whole of Liyue was bathed in a golden glow, catching the ripples in the water and causing them to sparkle.

Lyney closed his eyes, shifting all the focus to his hearing. The murmur of guests talking while eating their dinner, the steady flow of rushing water, the distant chirping of birds as they sang their goodnight songs.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Lyney's eyes opened, instantly landing on Father, who was doubled over and coughing hard.

"Father?!" Lyney jumped up and rushed to her side. Lynette had already gotten there, along with Heloir and Manet. The rest of them had stood up, as if prepared to attack.

Father quickly stopped coughing, still breathing hard.

"Father?" Lynette gently touched Father's back. "Are you alright?" Her brow was furrowed from concern, her hands shook from anxiety. She'd never seen Father like this before.

None of them had.

"Y-yes, Lynette," Father gasped. "I'm alright. I just… just inhaled a bug, that's all."

Lyney glanced around. Sure enough, there were some tiny bugs flying over the river, almost too close for comfort. It was a believable lie, as all of Father's were.

"Did you get it up?" Lyney asked, patting her back.

"Mm… Yes, I think so." Father quickly wiped her hand on her pants. "I'm alright."

Everyone slowly sat back down.

"My god, you scared me," Chapleau put a hand over his heart. "I thought you were sick or something."

Father shook her head. "Of course not."

Lyney's stomach churned uncomfortably. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore.

"Lyney, you barely ate anything," Lynette pointed out once they got back to their room. "You just picked at your food."

"I know," Lyney mumbled. "I'm sorry. I just didn't feel very hungry."

Father placed a firm hand on his back. "That's no good, Lyney. You need to eat all your meals tomorrow."

He nodded. "Yes, Father. I'll try."

Father removed her hand, and moved to grab her bags. The luggage had been piled up in the middle of the room. On one side were the two double beds, with white sheets and pillows. On the other side were a sink, and a folding panel to change behind.

Father placed her bags beside the bed furthest from the window. "Alright. Which one of you would like to share with me?"

Lyney almost volunteered himself. But… Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Father needed her sleep, and Lyney tended to toss and turn when he was anxious.

"No, no, no, Father, you can have that bed to yourself! We'll sleep in this one." Lyney patted the bed beside the window. No, that wouldn't work either, the bed was too small for three people… "Actually, Lynette and Freminet can have this bed, and I can just sleep on the couch! It looks comfortable!"

It did not look comfortable.

Lynette and Freminet shared a look.

Father raised an eyebrow. "Comfortable? It looks rather… hard."

"Well, I— um— I like hard stuff!" He realized a moment too late what he had said.

"Because you're a whore," Lynette deadpanned.

Even Father failed to stifle a small chuckle.

"You know that's not what I meant!" Lyney threw a shirt at her. "And besides, don't act like you've never done it!"

Freminet flushed slightly. "Um. I— I thought you said you were asexual…"

"How do you think I found out?" She pulled her hairbrush from her bag.

Freminet blushed more. "Um… Changing the subject… The water around here looks fun to swim in."

"It does, huh?" Lyney purred. "Perhaps we can go swimming tomorrow."

Freminet lit up.

"Have all of you brushed your teeth?" Father asked.

Lyney shared a look with his siblings. "Uh… No?"

Father motioned to the sink. "Go on."

Lyney brushed his teeth first, while Father retrieved her pajamas from her bag, and went behind the folding screen to change.

Lynette took her nightgown from her bag, intending to go next. "Well, since Lyney has decided he wants to sleep on… That…" she wrinkled her nose at the thought of the couch, "I suppose it's just you and me, Freminet."

Freminet nodded. "I don't mind."

Lynette purred.

Father emerged from behind the folding screen, wearing her black silk pajamas. Lynette went behind it next, while Father sat down on her bed.

"Lyney, do you wanna change next?" Freminet asked.

Lyney spit out his toothpaste. "Um… Sure." After rinsing his mouth, he unzipped his suitcase and quickly dug through to find a set of pajamas.

Freminet also opened his bag, but instead of finding pajamas, he took out his plushies and placed them all on top of his suitcase.

"What are you doing?" Father asked.

Freminet shrugged, continuing to bring all his plushies out.

"No sense keeping them packed up all night," Lyney answered. He unzipped his suitcase and pulled Mittins from within. "Here."

Father hummed softly. "Just make sure they're put away before we leave."

Freminet nodded.

Lynette padded out from behind the folding panel, dressed in her blue nightgown. She sat down on her bed to tie her long blond hair into a braid.

Lyney watched her for a moment, before Freminet nudged him and motioned to the panels.

"Right, right," Lyney grabbed his pajamas and darted behind the folding panels.

As he changed, he admired the artwork—sharp mountain peaks overlooking a deep blue sea, with ships and fish and a beautiful sunset behind the traditional Liyuean building. Though, when he was fully undressed, he had to pause for a moment to shiver in the cold night air. Liyue did not have the same indoor heating as Fontaine did.

Lyney quickly pulled his pajamas on, a gray long-sleeved shirt and pink shorts with a ruffle trim. Lynette had made them many years ago, and the poor-quality seams had begun to fall apart in some places. A twinge of guilt tugged at his stomach—he'd have to add another task to her list and ask her to repair them.

Or he could repair them himself and finally learn to sew.

Lyney stepped out from behind the folding panels, tapped Freminet on the shoulder, then grabbed the spare blanket from the foot of Father's bed. He placed it on the couch and tried to fluff the cushions out—Father was right, it was a bit hard. But, he'd already decided on this, and it was less shameful to just sleep on the couch than it was to ask Father or his siblings to move over.

"Are you sure you want to sleep on that?" Lynette asked, walking to the sink with her toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Yes."

Lynette rolled her eyes, and exchanged a look with Father, who simply sighed and turned away.

Lyney finished making his "bed", and Freminet changed into his pajamas. He brushed his teeth next, while Lynette sat on the right side of the bed to apply her lotion.

Lyney didn't have the energy for lotion. He just wanted to go to sleep.

"Alright. Everyone in bed, please," Father called once all three of her children had finished their night routines. She looked at the clock on the wall. "You have five more minutes."

It only took everyone three minutes to get into bed.

"Lyney, would you turn the light out?" Father asked.

Lyney stood up. "Yes, I'll take care of that. Give me a minute."

Father nodded as she lay down.

Lyney walked over to his siblings' bed. First, he tucked his sister into her blankets, making sure she would stay warm.

"Lyneyyy," she grumbled in protest.

Lyney ignored her. "Goodnight, Lynette." He gave her a small goodnight kiss on the top of her head, right between her ears.

She purred slightly, left ear twitching a bit. "Goodnight…"

Lyney walked around to the other side of the bed. Freminet was already tucked in, with Pers clutched close to his chest.

Lyney leaned down, kissing the top of the boy's blond head. He pulled the blankets back to give Pers a kiss, too.

"Goodnight, Freminet." He tucked the blankets back around his brother. "Goodnight, Pers."

Freminet smiled. "Night, Lyney…"

Lyney turned off the lamp. The moonlight filtered through the window, lighting the room just enough for Lyney to walk across to Father's bed.

"You need anything?" he whispered, tucking the covers in around her.

Father drew a long breath while she considered. "No."

"Okay. Goodnight, Father." Lyney walked across the room to the couch. He pulled his blankets back, climbed inside, and tucked himself in.

Lyney began to miss Rosseland.

The couch wasn't the most comfortable, and it was a bit colder than ideal, but… It would do. His back would most likely be okay in the morning.

As the blanket slid off of him in the middle of the night, Lyney awoke with a shiver. Liyuean nights were cold.

An arm clothed in soft pajamas slipped under his neck, the other under his knees, lifting him up. Freminet grunted softly, situating his older brother in his arms, the latter halfway slumped over his shoulder. Because of his age and appearance, Lyney sometimes forgot how strong the boy was.

"Fremi?.." Lyney murmured, shaking slightly from the cold.

The blond held Lyney against him, beginning to carry him across the moonlit room. "Yeah?"

"Mm… What're you doing?.."

"That couch really does not look comfortable."

No, Lyney thought. It really isn't.

Lyney was placed on a soft mattress, on the left side of a fast-asleep Lynette. Freminet crawled into the bed on his brother's left and pulled the covers up, enveloping them both in warmth.

Lynette's tail twitched in her sleep, soft fur brushing gently against her twin's knee. She purred slightly in her sleep.

Lyney purred back.

Freminet's elbow nudged into him as he grabbed his clockwork penguin from the nightstand, holding it close to his chest. The boy rolled over to face his brother.

"Goodnight, Lyney." Freminet leaned forward, placing a kiss on his big brother's forehead. Freminet then pulled the blanket around Lyney, tucking him in.

Lyney smiled at his baby brother, unable to keep himself awake much longer. "Goodnight, Fremi…"

Lyney's eyes fell closed, and he vaguely registered the weight of an arm wrapping around him. His siblings pressed close to either side, keeping him secure between them.

He was warm. Very warm.

Chapter Text

The bright sunlight shone on Lyney's face, rousing the man from sleep. The soft mattress sank on either side of him, and a comforting weight lay on his chest, reminding him of his siblings' presence in the bed. Lynette's ear twitched, batting against her brother's face. She let out a soft squeak as she dreamed on.

After attempting to move his left arm, before realizing it was around his little brother, Lyney opened his eyes, meeting his sister's blonde head resting over his chest. He petted her ears with his right hand and ruffled her hair.

The birthday boy was snuggled up against his left side, still clutching Pers close to him. His freckled head lay on his older brother's left shoulder, blond hair all messed up from sleeping.

Lyney ruffled his sister's hair harder.

"Mmph…" Lynette vocalized, snuggling closer to her brother.

"Morning," Lyney yawned. "C'mon, it's Fremi's birthday. We gotta get up."

"Mhh…" his sister made a noise, stretched her arms above her head, and opened her eyes. "Okay… I'm up."

Lyney purred at her, nuzzled her cheek. Then, they slowly scooted out of bed, careful not to wake Freminet. Lynette was the first to slide gracefully onto the floor. Lyney almost hit his head on the nightstand on his way down.

Freminet stirred slightly. "Mm?.."

"Shh. Go back to sleep," Lynette whispered, gently kissing his forehead.

Freminet rolled over, wrapped himself in the blankets, and fell right back asleep.

Lynette quickly got dressed in the clothes she had worn yesterday, and left the room to order breakfast for everyone.

Lyney knelt over Father to gently wake her. "Father?" he whispered.

Father didn't respond, too deep in her sleep.

Lyney shook her. "Father? Time to wake up."

She groaned softly. "Mm… Already?"

"Yeah! It's Freminet's birthday!"

Father yawned. "Yes… that's right." She sat up and stretched. "He turns… Eighteen, yes?"

Lyney furrowed his brow. "…Yes."

Father got out of bed, coughed slightly as she stood up. "Mm. That's right." She opened her suitcase and began looking for some clothes to wear.

"Are you alright?" Lyney asked.

Father coughed again. "Y-yes. Just a bit groggy, that's all."

Lyney nodded, though he didn't quite believe her. Father was like him, she tended to downplay her pain unless it was severe.

Father found some clothes, and went behind the folding panels to change. Lyney waited until Father was dressed before he gently shook his little brother awake.

"Happy birthday!" He called. When Freminet didn't stir, Lyney shook him again. "Freminet, time to get up!"

Freminet mumbled something unintelligible, rubbing his eye.

Lyney gently shook him again. "C'mon, it's your birthday! You're gonna open presents, then we're all gonna go out to eat some seafood, because it's your favorite, and then we're gonna go shopping, and then we're gonna eat more seafood, and then we're gonna go swimming—"

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Freminet giggled, sitting up.

Lyney hugged him tight, purring loudly. That's when Lynette came back into the room.

"Breakfast time," she announced. "Come on, I'm starving."

Lyney pulled Freminet out of bed, and Lynette dug through her bag to find the present she'd brought him.

"Happy birthday," she purred, placing a wrapped gift in his hands.

Freminet stared at the gift for a moment, as if it were something completely unexpected, before he sat down on the bed and carefully unwrapped it. He was delicate as he peeled off the tape from the blue paper, wincing slightly when it tore.

"It's okay," Lyney reassured. "It's meant to be ripped."

Freminet continued to take his time, and when he finally revealed the dark blue garment inside, he took great care in unfolding it, as if afraid it would fall apart at the slightest roughness.

He held it up to the light. It was a navy blue sweater, with gold trim around the cuffs and collar. The best part: the design in the middle was a picture of Pers. Lynette had found one of his drawings, and carefully recreated it out of fabric, before sewing it right into the sweater.

"Wow…" Freminet held it gently, running his fingers over the gold satin trim. "It's so pretty."

Lynette smiled.

When Freminet got dressed, he wore the sweater with a pair of gray pants. Lynette hugged him tight, kissed his cheek, and dragged him out the door to go eat breakfast.

"Lynette!" Freminet whined.

Lyney quickly got dressed before following them outside to the tables. Father walked alongside Lyney, still appearing tired.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Lyney asked again. "You still look tired."

Father nodded. "I'll be alright. Though I do want to see that doctor today, if we have time."

Lyney nodded. "Of course."

They got to the large table covered in Liyuean breakfast dishes, where the rest of the family was already sitting. Chapleau was on Freminet's right, which was where Lyney had hoped to sit. Lynette was sitting on Freminet's left side, with two empty seats beside her. Lyney sat right beside his little sister, and leaned on her for the sole purpose of being annoying.

Lynette rolled her eyes and shoved him off. "Butthead."

Lyney gasped in mock offence. "How rude!" He put a hand to his chest.

"I'd call you something much ruder if Father weren't here," she whispered.

"What was that?" Father asked as she sat down.

"I said, 'I'm glad you and Father are finally here.' " Lynette took a sip of her water.

Father didn't seem to believe her, but she didn't say anything else.

"Happy birthday, Freminet!" Estella suddenly exclaimed, clapping her little hands. "I got you the most amazing present! It's—"

"Shh," Heloir put a hand over her mouth. "Don't spoil the surprise."

Estella giggled. "Sorryyy!"

Freminet scooped vegetables onto his bowl of rice and fish. "It's okay, I'll find out later, anyway." He mixed everything together before eating; his chopstick skills were improving, Lyney noticed.

Seeing as Lyney wasn't serving himself any food, Lynette took it upon herself to pile spicy pork slices and green onions onto his rice.

"Nettie," he whined when she tried to feed him a bite from his own chopsticks. "M'not hun— Mmph!"

Lynette shoved the chopsticks into his mouth.

Sylvestre snickered into his drink. Even Chapleau laughed.

Lyney pulled away from Lynette as she pulled the chopsticks out of his poor mouth, and he reluctantly chewed the bite of food. The rice was the perfect amount of chewy, and the meat was tender and covered in spicy sauce. It tasted good, but he still wasn't hungry for more than one bite.

Once he swallowed, Lynette held up another bite.

Lyney quickly covered his mouth. "Don't you dare!" his voice was muffled by his palms.

Father sighed into her food. "Lynette, don't bully him on Freminet's birthday."

"I'm not bullying him," she stated. "I'm making him eat something for once."

"She's a bully," Lyney whined.

"She's right, though," Freminet mumbled, concerned. "You haven't eaten much lately…"

Lyney sighed. "I mean… Ugh. Fine, I'll eat."

Lynette passed him his chopsticks, and Lyney forced himself to eat every painful bite of his breakfast. Each grain of rice weighed a ton in his mouth, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably when he was full halfway through the bowl.

He had to stop only one-quarter away from finishing.

"M'full," he mumbled when Lynette gave him a weird look.

"That's fine," Lynette patted his back. "You ate enough. Just make sure you don't skip lunch, okay?"

"Mhm."

After breakfast was over, everyone went up to their rooms to pack their stuff. They left the Wangshu Inn shortly after, and rented a cart to transport their luggage, then they headed for Liyue Harbor.

"Maybe we'll find a swimming spot on the way?" Lyney suggested.

Freminet shrugged. "It's too early to think about that."

They crossed a bridge with a beautiful view of the river beneath it. The water flowed clear and slightly foamy, the lush green lilypads floated on top, shielding the tiny fish beneath.

"You sure you don't wanna swim?" Lyney asked.

Freminet smiled, blue eyes tracking a large golden fish as it swam across the riverbed. "I'm okay just looking for now."

They approached their first fork in the road. Lyney had been here before, so he knew which direction to travel in. Unfortunately, Foltz had a different idea.

"This way!" he announced, heading down the wrong path.

"Foltz, get back here!" Lyney called after him. "That's the wrong way!"

Foltz doubled down. "No, it's not!"

"Look, there's a sign," Lyney pointed out. "For Liyue Harbor, follow this road South," he read. "Obviously, that means we go South." He pointed to the bridge on the correct path.

"Well, maybe this is a shortcut!" Foltz insisted.

"No, it's not."

"Well… I-I'll go this way, and you go that way, and let's see who gets there first!"

"Not how this works."

"Foltz," Father called. "Come back right now."

Foltz hesitated for a moment, still wanting to go down his chosen path… But he trudged back to the group, and stayed quiet the rest of the trip.

They saw large ruins and fruiting trees and went up a rocky hill. Around noon, they passed a few houses and a statue of Rex Lapis, the deceased Geo Archon.

"His human form looks nice," Freminet mumbled, stopping to look. "He's got nice pecs."

Lynette gave him a weird look.

"What?" Freminet barely glanced at her. "He has nice muscles."

Lyney gave a slight nod. "I mean… Not wrong. He does."

Lynette rolled her eyes. Father laughed.

"I don't get it," Heloir crossed her arms.

Father tilted her head, and pursed her lips, studying the statue intently. "Me neither."

"We're halfway there," Lynette walked ahead of her brothers, taking the lead. "Come on. I'm sure there will be more statues of buff men for you weirdos to ogle once we get there."

Lyney rolled his eyes, Freminet blushed, and hid his face with his sleeve.

Come to think of it, Lyney had never seen Freminet express any kind of attraction for anyone. Thinking a statue was well-defined was one thing, but Freminet had never had a crush, at least, not that Lyney was aware of.

Lyney sighed quietly. The thought of any of his younger siblings growing old enough to date was… Bittersweet.

Though perhaps Father felt the same way about Lyney when he'd first started dating at sixteen.

"What's that?" Estella pointed at a small manmade pond. It had been lined with bricks, trapping the water and lush greenery inside, along with a few fish. In the middle sat a rock with five sigils nailed to it.

"No idea," Lyney admitted. "Maybe something for worship or to ward off spirits. Don't touch it."

Olivier "hmph"ed loudly.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Chapleau ran ahead and pointed.

Lyney followed behind. As he finally reached the peak of the hill, Liyue Harbor came into view.

"Wow," he murmured aloud.

Buildings with green roofs decorated the side of the mountains, framed by waterfalls and the vast sea. The docks were full of ships, mostly cargo, as it wasn't tourist season quite yet. Above even the mountain peaks floated the Jade Chamber in all her glory, overlooking the Tianquan's whole dominion.

"We're almost there!" Heloir squealed.

The whole family stopped to rest and look over the harbor. Someone's stomach growled, and Lyney groaned softly. He didn't feel so hungry, but he was certainly tired from all the walking.

"Lyney? We're continuing," Lynette put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. I know." Lyney forced his legs to carry him just a bit further, and followed the rest of the family as they headed down the hill.

Lyney flopped onto the nearest bed once he'd got to his room. They were able to get three rooms this time, and Lyney, Father, and Freminet were together again. Lynette was in a room with Estella and Heloir. Chapleau and Sylvestre were with Foltz, Olivier, and Manet.

"Freminet, you can open your presents before we go have lunch," Father offered.

Freminet shrugged. "I don't mind…"

Lyney sighed loudly before he got up. "Alright. I'll go gather everyone."

Father nodded. "Thank you, Lyney."

Lyney went to the other siblings' rooms to gather them. Everyone crowded into Freminet's room, piling the wrapped gifts on Freminet and Lyney's shared bed.

"Go on," Father nodded to Freminet.

Freminet sat down on the bed, and grabbed the envelope on top of the stack. He carefully opened it and pulled out the card from within. When he opened it, a tiny bouquet of 3d paper flowers popped out.

"That's from me!" Estella clapped her hands.

"It's so cute," Freminet smiled. "Thank you."

Lyney exchanged an excited look with Lynette. It was rare to see their brother smile like that.

Freminet's soft, freckled features almost seemed to glow with delight as he opened his next present, a set of tiny gears with even tinier teeth. Lyney had been unable to find any so small when he looked in the ordinary stores.

"Happy birthday," Father smiled.

"Thank you, Father," Freminet whispered.

He opened one from Chapleau next, a small glass ornament in the shape of a romaritime flower.

"I had something bigger planned, but it seems it'll have to be your Christmas gift instead."

"That's okay," Freminet smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

When he opened his new set of tools from Sylvestre, he grabbed his toolkit out of his suitcase to put them away. It was made of some kind of tough fabric, having not originally been a toolkit. When Freminet put the new tools in, however, the smallest ones fell out through a hole in the seam.

"Looks like it's time for my gift," Lyney announced. He magicked his hat into his hands, and held it out to Freminet.

Freminet made eye contact with Lyney, who gave an encouraging smile. "It won't bite, silly."

Freminet reached into the hat, and his eyes widened when he grabbed something.

"Wait, is that…"

"Go on, pull it out!"

Freminet tugged his new plastic toolkit out of Lyney's hat, and nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Happy birthday!" Lyney smiled.

Freminet hugged him. "Thank you…"

Lyney purred softly. "Aww, you're welcome, kiddo."

Once Freminet had opened all of his presents, Father pulled Lyney aside.

"We should go now," she coughed. "To the doctor."

Lyney nodded, surprised and slightly concerned by her sudden decision.

"Are you alright?" he asked for possibly the fifth time that day.

Father shook her head. "It… It hurts," she admitted quietly.

"Let's go, then."

Lyney and Father gathered up some things to take with them before they left, including medical documents Father had brought with her. Father panted slightly as she stood up, and Lyney had to resist the urge to rush her out the door.

It hurt to see her like this. But he was sure Father was in even worse pain.

They made an excuse about emergency Fatui business to the rest of the family.

"We'll join you for dinner," Lyney promised.

Lynette sighed. "You better be back."

"We will be," Father reassured.

They set off, making their way up a large staircase first. Lyney vaguely remembered the path, yet Father led the way. Perhaps she'd been here for some of her missions.

Or maybe she'd memorized the map before they came. It seemed like something she would do.

They turned right, walking under red bridges that connected various buildings to each other. Lyney didn't stop to admire the scenery, though he desperately wanted to.

Father and Lyney made it to a large archway, and once they went through, the atmosphere changed.

Gone were the tall buildings from before. On either side of the zig-zag pathway were small pools, each filled with lotuses and lanterns. There were two pavilions, a small one on the left side and a large one on the right, each overlooking the pools. Though, once Lyney stepped onto the right one, he saw that it overlooked the harbor, as well.

"Lyney?" Father stepped up behind him.

Lyney watched from a distance as his brothers and sisters made their way across the harbor, on their way to lunch. He sighed, and followed close behind Father as they continued walking to the pharmacy.

After another long staircase, they made it!

They talked to an assistant, made an appointment, which was in half an hour, and after handing over Father's medical papers, they were soon taken into an examination room.

Father sat on one of the chairs, and Lyney sat beside her with his book. Father pulled her own book from her bag, holding it in her right hand while she read. Her left hand was in her pocket.

The two sat in patient silence, only interrupted by the occasional page turning.

The appointment was made—for the same day, even—so the hardest part was over, right? Wrong.

The hardest part was the waiting.

What was supposed to be half an hour became forty-five minutes. Lyney began to get restless. He'd finished his book long ago, but due to an error in judgment, he'd left the sequel in the inn with the rest of his stuff. He began chewing his lip, fidgeting with his hands, rocking back and forth in his seat, and he only calmed down when Father handed him a coin from her left pocket.

"I usually keep one with me. It helps me calm down, too."

Lyney blinked up at her. "Ah. Thanks…" He began to fidget with the coin instead, rubbing it between his thumb and pointer finger. The engraved triquetra—Father informed him that was what the shape was called—felt surprisingly nice between his fingertips.

She returned to her book, now using both hands to hold it.

They waited for another fifteen minutes before someone opened the door.

"Sorry for the delay," said the man who walked in. He was apologetic, yet sounded lively all the same. Lyney looked up, his fidgeting coming to a halt.

The man was tall, with shiny green hair that went past his hips. He carried a clipboard in his left hand. A pair of gold-brimmed glasses framed his orange eyes, and… Lyney almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. A long white snake sat atop his shoulders, wrapped loosely around his neck like a scarf.

It was him.

Lyney shoved the coin into his pocket as he stood up. "Doctor Baizhu!" he greeted excitedly. In his enthusiasm, he briefly forgot the Liyuean custom of bowing, instead holding a hand out in greeting. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

The doctor smiled warmly, taking Lyney's hand and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, too, young man," he chuckled, not taken aback in the slightest by what was, for him, an unusual greeting.

Lyney grinned wider, letting go of the man's hand. Father gently tapped his shoulder, in a silent reminder. His grin faded, quickly replaced by wide eyes and a heavy blush.

"Oh! I— I forgot, I'm so sorry," Lyney apologized, putting his hands at his sides and bowing.

Doctor Baizhu chuckled again, a warm and kind laugh. "Oh, don't worry. I see foreign patients all the time."

Father patted her son's shoulder again. "Good afternoon, Doctor," she greeted, giving the doctor a well-practiced bow.

Doctor Baizhu bowed to her, then checked the clipboard he was holding. "You must be Miss Peruere Snezhevna, yes?"

"Correct." Father crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed, and her tone hardened. "But you may call me Arlecchino." She pulled a Fatui insignia from her pocket, flashing it briefly. It was a silent threat: "I am stronger than you."

Lyney shot Father a look, brow furrowed.

Baizhu's smile faded a bit, but he did not seem afraid. Lyney knew Master Childe had been stationed in Liyue for a while, perhaps the doctor was used to Harbingers in his office. Lyney didn't think there was any need for threats.

"Father," he whispered. "Maybe we don't need to threaten him."

"Ah. A Harbinger, I see," the doctor said. He motioned to the table. "Not to worry. You're in good hands."

Father pulled herself onto the examination table. She handed Lyney her coat, leaving her top half in nothing but a gray tank top. She did her best to hide her emotions, but Lyney saw how she continuously adjusted the straps of her shirt until her bra was completely hidden. Once that was done, she crossed her legs and placed her hands in her lap. Lyney sat back in his chair, continuing to fidget nervously as Doctor Baizhu examined Father. He did a routine check-up, taking Father's weight and vitals, while she explained her condition.

The doctor's expression changed from optimism to worry.

"Stage four… I see." He nodded, writing something down on his chart. "And you said you've never smoked, correct?"

"Correct," Father confirmed. "However, my Pyro Vision and Delusion naturally expose me to a small amount of smoke."

Baizhu wrote that down. "It shouldn't be enough to cause this. At your age, people rarely get lung cancer unless they are heavy smokers…"

"No. It's a direct result of my curse."

Baizhu nodded solemnly. "Yes. It does seem that way."

Father sighed. "My son insisted on seeing you, but… I don't believe there is much you can do."

Lyney's shoulders sagged.

The doctor hummed. "While I cannot cure you, due to the nature of the disease, and of your curse, but… There might be something I can do for the pain."

Father perked up. "Really? That would be much appreciated."

Lyney couldn't wipe the grin off his face as Doctor Baizhu brought Father a box of herbs.

"Steep half a spoonful of these in hot water for ten minutes," he instructed. "Then drink without sweeteners, they weaken the medicine. Once every few days, or whenever the pain is bad. And don't drink alcohol, it will also weaken the medicine's effects."

Father nodded. "Thank you."

A small, purple-haired child walked into the room, holding a tray with a teacup on it.

"Ah, just in time, Qiqi." Doctor Baizhu handed Father the teacup. "Here's your first dose. Drink that, then you're free to go."

And just like that, he left, leaving Father and Lyney alone again.

Father handed Lyney the teacup, then quickly put her clothes back on.

"Thank god," Lyney murmured. "I was worried there was nothing he could do."

Father nodded. She took the teacup back from Lyney, and took a tiny sip to test it. She usually could tolerate bitterness, but this time, Father grimaced.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Lyney asked.

Father nodded, nose still scrunched up. "Mm. Yes. This had better work." Before Lyney realized what she was doing, she tipped her head back, and chugged the whole thing.

"Oh god," Lyney winced.

Father set the empty teacup down on the counter. "It's bearable all at once," she stated.

"I'd imagine…" Lyney's eyes began to wander across the counter. For a moment, he wondered if he'd see something sharp, like a needle or a knife, and his stomach dropped.

"Lyney?"

Lyney shook his head, averting his gaze. There were no sharp objects, but it was still best not to think about it.

"Are you alright?" Father asked.

"Y-yes. I was just… Thinking of something I shouldn't." He glanced at his long sleeves for a second before looking at Father again.

"I see…" Father seemed to understand.

"I'm okay," he reassured. "I… I'm not going to do anything I shouldn't."

"I trust you won't." Father glanced at the door. "How are you doing about that, by the way?" She asked, her voice dropping to a low volume.

"Good. I… I'll be a year clean in ten days," Lyney took a deep breath in hopes of calming his heart. "I wouldn't ruin that for anything.

Father smiled, and put a hand on Lyney's shoulder. "Good. Let's go find your siblings, hmm?"

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. We'd better."

The two stopped for a quick snack on the way back to the Bailu Guesthouse. They had to put Father's documents and medicine away, and make sure they were hidden from the others. Lyney curled up on his bed, and almost fell asleep.

"Are you tired?" Father asked.

"Yeah. Really tired," he admitted.

Father smiled. "Go ahead and nap. You've had a long day." Father sat down on her bed, and took her shoes off. "In fact, I'll join you. There's something in that tea…" Father yawned.

Lyney nodded, kicking his shoes off. "Mhm…"

"Well. Good… Goodnight," Father murmured.

"Yeah. Night."

"Father? Lyney?" Freminet's voice woke them both up from their warm naps. "We're gonna go eat dinner."

Father got out of bed and put her shoes back on. "Yes, of course. Where at?"

"Just downstairs," Freminet answered. "Everyone else is already there."

Lyney slid out of bed and put his shoes on. "Mhm… Let's go."

Freminet left.

"Are you feeling better?" Lyney asked Father.

She nodded. "Much. Either the pain went down on its own, or the medicine works."

Lyney hoped the latter was correct.

After a large dinner of noodles and fish and dumplings, Lyney was about ready to fall asleep again. Freminet looked happier than before, having filled up with the best fish dishes on the menu.

They ordered some chocolate cake, which Freminet was happy to eat. Pers sat on the table beside his plate, looking as content as an inanimate object could.

Lyney was regretting everything he'd eaten in the past week. His stomach had been upset all day, but the chocolate cake was the final nail in the coffin.

He suddenly stood up from the table, trying not to clutch his stomach as it twinged painfully.

"Lyney?!" Lynette called after him.

"Be right back!" Lyney ran into the bathroom before anyone could ask questions.

He closed the door, and knelt before the toilet, shaking. As he began to gag, chills suddenly ran down his spine.

Something told him he wasn't alone.

He had to resist the urge to look around, as he was actively gagging and about to vomit.

Once he vomited, however, the feeling quickly passed. He glanced around the room, finding nothing, not even a bug. It must have been his own paranoia.

"Sorry," he apologized when he returned to the table. "Just really had to go."

Lynette met his eyes with a weird look. Lyney's breath caught in his throat. Did she know? No, that wasn't possible.

After everyone finished their cake, Father sent the younger kids up to bed. Freminet stood up to go with them, as he usually did, but Father motioned for him to sit back down.

"You're eighteen now," she reminded. "You're old enough to have a drink with us."

Freminet looked like he wanted to protest, but he sat back down anyway.

"You don't have to get an alcoholic one," Chapleau reassured. "If you're not ready yet."

Freminet shrugged, pulling Pers into his lap. "I— I'll try it. Once."

Chapleau began advising Freminet about the different kinds of alcohol and which one he should try.

"You could try a red wine," Lyney suggested. "It tastes the best." He was about to order one himself out of habit, though he knew he'd probably regret it due to his sensitive stomach.

"I can try wine anytime," he mumbled. "Father has some at home, but I didn't want to drink that without permission."

"I'm glad," Father smiled. "Your brother opened a ten-thousand mora bottle once, thought I wouldn't figure out it was him." Father tried to meet Lyney's gaze, but he looked away.

"Ahem. Well, you can't prove it was me," he retorted.

"Your breath smelled like wine," Father tapped her fingers on the table. "And you were the only one who was sick the next morning. I never needed to prove anything."

Lynette snorted with laughter. Lyney tried to hide his face in his sleeve.

"You stole Father's wine?" Freminet asked, incredulous. "I don't remember that."

"You were eleven, of course you don't remember," Lynette purred. "Though, I think Lyney remembers pretty well," she teased.

"No idea what you're talking about!" Lyney grinned. 

Freminet quickly changed the subject, "Maybe I can try a martini, they come in the fancy glasses with the olives."

Father nodded. "They have more alcohol in them," she warned.

Freminet shrugged. "Yeah. I-I know."

"Might as well try," he mumbled. "If I regret it I can just not have any again."

"And it's good to build a tolerance." Father flagged a waitress so they could order.

Chapleau ordered a glass of Mondstadt beer, while both Lyney and Sylvestre ordered glasses of wine. Father and Lynette ordered tea.

"Not drinking tonight?" Chapleau asked Father.

She shook her head. "No. I'm not feeling up to it."

Freminet stared off into the distance, and Lyney had to laugh. The poor thing looked like he regretted everything.

"You'll be okay," Lyney reassured. "You can just try a sip."

The waitress brought everyone their drinks, except Freminet. She had to go back for his.

Lynette rubbed his shoulder. "You're working yourself up for nothing."

"I know," Freminet mumbled. He sighed loudly and began to fidget with his sleeves.

The waitress came back, and placed the martini glass in front of Freminet.

"Oh. God," Freminet mumbled. "It looks… bigger than I thought it would."

Lynette sipped on her tea, chuckling a bit.

He glanced at Father, who nodded slightly, giving him her permission. The young man picked up the glass, tilting it a bit.

"God. Um," he removed the lemon peel from the top. "It's colder than I expected."

Lyney reached across the table and put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to drink it if you don't wanna."

"No, no, I do want to."

Lyney sat back in his seat, watching intently as Freminet finally raised the glass to his mouth.

Freminet sipped. He hesitated, but then he took another small sip. And then he downed the whole thing. His freckled features scrunched up, and he was quick to remove the glass from his lips.

"How was it?" Father asked with a slight chuckle.

"Bad," he coughed. "It was bad."

Lyney laughed.

Freminet coughed and wiped his face. "How do people drink this stuff?"

"It's an acquired taste," Father answered.

Lynette chimed in, "There's many different kinds of alcohol, with different flavors. But, if alcohol isn't your thing, it's okay. It's not my preference either."

"But it's my preference," Lyney said before downing his own glass of red wine. The regret instantly hit, but his stomach felt fine.

Father sighed. "Of course."

Chapleau sipped on his beer, while Sylvestre swirled his wine around in his glass.

Lyney stood from his chair. "I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Lynette asked.

"I finished my drink," he answered. "I'm gonna go sleep."

Father nodded. "Go ahead."

"Me too," Freminet stood up, holding Pers tight in his hands. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Freminet," Chapleau waved.

"Happy birthday," Lynette purred. "I might join you two tonight, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Lyney smiled.

The brothers headed upstairs. Lyney paid close attention to his stomach, but it felt fine. His throat felt sore, but that was normal.

The two changed into their pajamas and brushed their teeth. Freminet got all of his plushies out of his bags and placed them on top of his suitcase.

"That was the worst thing I've ever tasted," Freminet said suddenly. "Never again."

Lyney laughed. "You tried it! You said you wanted to try it, and you did. I didn't expect you to drink the whole thing."

Freminet shrugged. "I thought it would taste better if I drank it all at once."

Lyney was reminded of how Father drank the tea earlier.

"It did not help," Freminet wrinkled his nose.

The door opened, and Father and Lynette walked in. Lynette was already in her pajamas.

"Heloir and Estella are already asleep," she smiled.

Father went to change into her pajamas, while the siblings talked.

"So, other than the alcohol, did you have a good birthday?" Lyney purred as he sat down on the bed.

Freminet nodded. "Yeah. Best birthday ever…" he smiled.

Lyney and Lynette smiled too.

"Can I… Can I make one more request?.."

Lyney nodded. "Anything for you."

"Can I sleep in the middle tonight?" he pointed at the bed.

Lyney stood up, allowing his little brother plenty of room to get into bed. He slipped under the blankets with Pers, making himself comfortable.

The twins climbed into bed on either side of him. Lyney was on the left, and Lynette was on the right.

Father finished changing into her pajamas, and turned the light off.

"Goodnight, children."

"Goodnight, Father!" all three of them said at once.

Father climbed into her own bed, and her children made themselves comfortable in theirs.

Lyney and Lynette wrapped their arms around their little brother, purring contentedly as they all began to drift off. Lyney would normally be awake for a while longer, but the weight of Freminet's head on his chest, Lynette's purring, and Father's soft snores from across the room put Lyney at ease.

His stomach still felt weird, but Father's pain medication was working! He didn't have as many reasons for late-night anxiety.

Finally relaxed, Lyney quickly fell asleep, slipping deep into a long, well-needed rest.

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry we couldn't go swimming yesterday," Lyney sighed.

Freminet shrugged. "It's fine. I don't mind."

After breakfast, Lyney and Freminet decided to take a morning stroll around Liyue Harbor, bringing the three youngest children with them. Father and Lynette were still at the inn, having decided to sleep through the morning. As for everyone else, they had decided to explore other parts of the city.

"I still feel bad." Lyney grabbed Manet's hand to stop him from running off. "It was your birthday."

"I can always go diving when we get home. I go diving all the time."

Before Lyney could respond, Estella tugged at his hand.

"Lyney! Lyney, look!" she pointed at a building with a colorful sign above the door. "What's that?"

"Oh, that's Liuli Pavilion," Lyney informed. "The food is good, but you have to make reservations at least three months in advance."

"Oh. That's like… a long time."

"Hehe. Yeah." Lyney petted her hair. "We can get food to go, though, if you'd like to eat some for lunch."

She tilted her head. "Oh… Okay!"

Lyney purred. He took her hand again and continued walking, Freminet, Olivier, and Manet followed behind them. They went through a large archway, and were greeted with the sight of the lotus ponds on the pathway to Bubu Pharmacy.

"Whoa, it's so pretty!" Manet exclaimed.

Freminet nodded, in awe as he watched a koi fish dart behind some leaves.

"I didn't notice the koi before," Lyney murmured.

The barrier on the pathway came up to Lyney's knees, so it would be easy to fall in if one were not careful. Estella stayed right beside Lyney's side, clearly thinking the same thing. The other three stayed near the entrance, while Lyney and Estella headed farther down.

The two peered into the water, watching the lotus-shaped lanterns float by. Of course, such a scene would look much better at night, when the lanterns could shine brighter. The lush green lotus leaves stood proudly atop their tall stems, close enough that one could easily touch them… But Lyney refrained.

Estella grabbed his hand and tugged. "Lyney?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, little star?" Lyney purred.

She looked up at him with those big, ocean blue eyes. "What kind of flowers are those?"

"Those are called 'lotus flowers'," Lyney informed. "Do you remember the jade parcels you had for lunch yesterday? Lynette told me all about it this morning."

Estella didn't answer.

"The ham and veggies wrapped in cabbage," he reminded. "Apparently you loved those."

Estella nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"They actually had lotus roots in them!"

Estella's eyes widened. "Ohh, that's what they look like." She stared into the water, still holding Lyney's hand. "Oh…" she sighed sadly.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Now I'm hungry again…"

Lyney purred softly. "Oh, that's alright. I'm sure we can stop somewhere soon."

Estella smiled. "Yayyy."

Lyney hummed softly. "Like I said earlier, we can go to—"

"AHH!"

SPLASH!

Lyney jumped, and quickly wrapped his arms around Estella, frantically searching for the source of the noise.

Olivier, who was on the walkway just a minute ago, had fallen into the water. The locals gasped and exclaimed in shock as the boy kicked desperately at the leaves and scrambled to grab onto something.

"Help, help!" he exclaimed.

Lyney let go of Estella and rushed over, but Freminet was already there.

"Olivier!" Freminet leaned down and tried to grab him. "Here, grab my hand!"

Olivier coughed loudly. He grabbed Freminet's arm with slippery, wet hands, and nearly tugged Freminet into the water, too.

Lyney grabbed Freminet from behind, preventing him from being pulled into the water, too.

"No, Olivier, my hand!" Freminet exclaimed. "Nngh—"

Olivier tried to grab his hand, but slipped and fell under the water again.

Freminet lunged forward, now hanging halfway off the edge, and Lyney almost let go. Freminet barely managed to grab Olivier under his shoulders, and pulled him up high enough to breathe.

Olivier gasped for air, while Lyney struggled to pull Freminet back.

He couldn't lift Freminet up, and Freminet couldn't lift Olivier any farther.

They were stuck.

But before Lyney could panic, an unexpected hero arrived to save the day.

"Need some help over there?" a young man, appearing around Freminet's age, called from the entrance. He carried a large package in his arms, as if in the middle of a delivery.

"Yes, please!" Lyney strained to hold onto Freminet, afraid he would slip at any moment.

The young man set the package down and strolled over, rolling up his sleeves.

Freminet's top half was hanging off the edge, but the hood of his jacket stuck up far enough for the stranger to grab. He pulled Freminet up by his hood, while Freminet held tightly to Olivier. Lyney took a few steps back, pulling his brothers with him. The young man helped lift a sopping wet, sputtering Olivier over the barrier.

Once everyone was safe, Lyney dropped Freminet and grabbed Olivier.

"Olivier!" He tugged the boy into a hug, not caring that his clothes were getting soaked. "What were you doing?!"

Olivier shivered, Lyney tightened his grip. "I— I was just trying to look at the fish…"

"They are pretty cute, aren't they?" their saviour chuckled, wiping his hands on his pants. "You alright, little guy?"

The boy coughed again. "Y-yeah. I'll be okay." Manet and Estella rushed over, also hugging poor Olivier.

"Thank you, sir," Freminet half-whispered. "I'm sorry for the trouble…"

"Ah, it's no trouble at all." The young man waved a hand; the golden charms on his bracelet shone when they caught the morning sun. "Lucky my delivery route brought me up here, hehe."

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. Good thing it did."

The young man looked down at Lyney. A hint of recognition passed over his face, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"You don't look like you're from around these parts," the boy observed. "Are you Fontainian?"

"Right on the mora," Lyney laughed, using his Vision to dry Olivier before he shivered even more. "How'd you know?"

He shrugged. "I know a lot of Fontainians. You all look the part." He strode back to his large package, picking it up like it weighed nothing. The Pyro Vision on his hip jostled and glittered in the light, catching Lyney's attention.

Lyney nodded. "I suppose we do… I'm not sure I can thank you enough for rescuing my brother; he gave me such a heart attack."

The boy nodded. "It's really no problem! It was just the right thing to do." He looked at Olivier. "Try not to fall in any more ponds, m'kay, buddy? Don't wanna give your brother any more heart attacks, now," he winked.

"Okay!" Olivier waved at the young man as he continued down the path with his delivery. The colorful half of his hair shone like rubies in the sunlight, while the natural brown half shone bronze.

Lyney rubbed Olivier's legs to dry his pants. "Thank the gods that guy was here…" he sighed. "If I see him again, I'll have to thank him properly."

Freminet hummed. "He looked pretty cool… I liked his piercing."

"He had piercings?"

"Yeah, he had one." Freminet touched his left eyebrow. "Right here."

Lyney's eyebrows raised involuntarily. "Really? You noticed that?"

"I usually look at people's eyebrows or noses," Freminet admitted quietly. "I don't like eye contact."

"Oh, I know," Lyney murmured. "Yeah, Lynette does that, too."

Freminet nodded.

Lyney ran his fingers through Olivier's hair, trying to dry and brush it simultaneously. "Alright, everyone, let's return to the hotel and get Olivier into some dry clothes."

Freminet removed his jacket and wrapped it around Olivier. "Here, this will keep you warm…" He picked the boy up and held him tight.

Lyney looked around for Estella and Manet. Estella was shivering, and Manet had his arms wrapped around her, trying to comfort her.

Lyney grasped Estella's trembling hand. "Hey, c'mon, we're going back to the guesthouse to rest a bit."

She let go of Manet and hugged his waist. "Is… Is Olivier okay?" she whimpered.

"Of course," Lyney reassured. "He's cold and wet, but he'll be okay when he gets some dry clothes."

She nodded hesitantly and let go of Lyney, eyes fixed on Olivier as Freminet began carrying him back to the inn.

Lyney grabbed both Manet and Estella's hands. "Come on, you two, let's go."

"What happened?" Father asked, quite sternly, as the group arrived back at their rooms with a rather damp Olivier.

"He fell in the water," Lyney answered as he opened Olivier's door for him. "Go change, okay?" he murmured.

Olivier nodded, before he went to his suitcase to find a new set of clothes.

"We had to fish him out," Lyney explained, stepping into the room after him. "We couldn't get him out on our own because it was deep, but someone else helped us."

"Poor thing," Lynette murmured into her cup of tea.

"Were you not watching him?" Father asked.

Lyney looked at the ground, a bit hurt by the accusation, but Father was just worried about her son, so he answered. "Well, n-no, but I was with Estella. Freminet was with him."

Freminet nodded. "Y-yeah, I was watching the boys."

Father sighed. "Very well… Lyney."

"Yes, Father?"

"Keep a closer eye on your younger siblings," she scolded. "I don't want them getting hurt."

Lyney nodded.

"And, Olivier," Father called.

The boy looked up.

"Be more careful from now on. Do not continue to embarrass yourself in public like that." Father picked up a bag and left the room, leaving her children alone.

Once everyone was absolutely certain Father had left, Lynette was the first to speak up.

"Well, she's gone back to normal."

"What do you mean?" Lyney asked.

Freminet and Lynette shared a look.

"Father's been less strict lately, haven't you noticed?" Lynette took a sip of her tea, ears turning back to press against her head. "I was hoping it was a permanent change."

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose I did notice," Lyney mumbled. Father had been in a lot of pain lately, too distracted to properly enforce rules. Though, now that she had medication… She was, like Lynette said, back to normal.

Freminet sighed. "I'm sorry, Lyney, I was supposed to be watching them. I turned my back for one second…"

Lyney shrugged. "It's fine. You know how kids are."

"I can hear you!" Olivier whined from behind the folding panels.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't fall into the water the moment we turn around!" Lyney called back. His voice was sharper than he meant it—or perhaps he did mean it.

Manet and Estella had been quietly playing in the corner the whole time, not wanting to get in anyone's way. They stopped playing at Lyney's words, clearly sensing tension.

"Lyney," his twin sister warned.

Freminet met Lyney's gaze and shook his head.

Lyney chose to continue anyway. "Father's right. Stop being stupid and embarrassing yourself like that."

Lynette held her face in her hand, Freminet sighed in defeat, and Lyney turned on his heel and walked quickly past them, heading straight for his room.

"What's wrong with him?" he heard Lynette mutter before he closed and locked the door.

"Nothing is wrong with me!" he yelled back. Lyney moved across the room and drew the curtains closed, blocking most of the light and casting the room in shadow.

It wasn't him that was the problem, it was Father and her… Her everything. Her unnecessary scolding, her cancer, her insistence that Lyney had to keep everything a secret from the rest of the family, just because he was her successor! He didn't even want to be!

Lyney sat down on the floor beside his and Freminet's bed. The cancer wasn't something Father could control, it was pointless to blame her for it. If she had a choice, Lyney knew she'd have chosen anything other than this.

However, everything else he had an issue with was completely her fault.

Suddenly feeling the urge to hide, Lyney got on the floor and rolled underneath the bed. A week of solitude sounded perfect right now. He didn't want to see anybody except for his cat.

…His cat. His cat, who was at home in another nation.

God, he missed Rosseland.

"There you are, Lyney! Where were you?" Chapleau asked.

Lyney smiled like he hadn't been hiding out in the hotel the whole day. "Oh, just taking in the scenery. I needed some fresh air."

"A lot of it, apparently," Lynette remarked. "You were gone all day. It's dinnertime now."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm aware of that," Lyney mumbled. He'd skipped all the planned activities and was only now meeting up with them at Wanmin Restaurant to eat dinner. If he had to eat, he wasn't gonna do it alone.

"What did you have to eat?" Lynette asked. It was as if she knew he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"Dumplings," he lied. "What about you?"

Lynette narrowed her eyes. "Dumplings? What kind of dumplings?"

Chapleau looked between his older siblings, getting visibly nervous as Lynette leaned into Lyney's personal space.

"Lyney. What kind of dumplings?"

Lyney leaned away from her. "Pork ones."

"Really? From where?"

Lyney made the mistake of hesitating. He didn't know where everyone else had gone, and there was no way of picking a place that sold pork dumplings that none of his family members had been to that afternoon. Unless he was lucky enough to guess right…

When Lyney didn't answer, Lynette's tail bristled. "Lyney. You're—"

Chapleau quickly stepped between them. "Okay, okay, let's not fight in public," he warned, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Come on. Let's go eat. Please."

Lynette crossed her arms and flicked her tail in an agitated way, while Lyney took a few steps back, tempted to go back to the guesthouse and eat dinner by himself.

"Fine. Let's go eat." Lynette turned around and headed back behind the restaurant, tension in her shoulders and in every step she took.

Chapleau met Lyney's eyes. "Just make sure you eat, okay?"

"I was planning on it," Lyney mumbled, pushing past Chapleau to follow Lynette.

The restaurant was crowded and loud, the tables even spilled onto the porch of the building next door, but Lyney spotted his family and moved to sit with them.

"Hello, Lyney," Father greeted.

"Hi." The only available seat was across from Freminet, which also happened to be farthest from both Father and Lynette. Lyney was glad for that, as he was still somewhat upset about Father's scolding earlier.

Like his sister had said, she was back to normal now that she was not in much pain. It was a good thing, it was good that she wasn't in pain, of course. Lyney just couldn't help preferring it when she didn't scold him for his siblings' actions.

Freminet put a gentle hand on Lyney's shoulder. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hello, Freminet," Lyney leaned against his hand for a moment, trying to ground himself.

"We ordered you some… Some black back perch stew," Freminet motioned to the bowl in front of Lyney.

Lyney hummed softly, picking up his spoon. "Hm. Thanks."

Olivier was sitting beside Lyney, playing with his noodles.

"Olivier!" Lyney scolded. "Use your chopsticks, not your fingers. I know you know how to use chopsticks." Lyney placed his spoon down and grabbed a napkin to clean Olivier's hands. "You're ten, not two."

Olivier whined and complained, but picked up his chopsticks like Lyney told him, and began to eat his food normally.

Lyney sighed, and finally began to eat his own dinner. He could hear the sounds of another group entering the restaurant, and Freminet quickly looked up from his own meal.

He looked over Lyney's shoulder, eyes narrowed slightly from the sunset lighting. "Hey, isn't that—"

Olivier turned around before Freminet could finish. "Hey, that's the guy who saved me!" Olivier exclaimed loudly, pointing across the restaurant.

Before Lyney could stop him, the boy ran across the restaurant to tackle the poor young man with a hug.

"Whoa there, little guy!" the young man laughed loudly from the ground. He stood up, holding Olivier in his arms. He carried Olivier back to his family, before setting him down on the ground and ruffling his hair. "Nice to see you again!" he greeted the family. "Well… Half of you."

Lyney sighed, standing from his chair. "Yes… Fancy meeting you again."

Heloir tilted her head. "Who's this?"

Lyney opened his mouth to answer, before realizing something crucial. "I— uh— I don't think we ever got your name."

The young man laughed cheerily. "It's alright, I never got any of yours, either. Name's Gaming!"

Lyney nodded. Was that his surname or given name? "I'm… Lyney Snezhevich." He clasped Olivier's shoulders. "And this little pest is Olivier, my little brother."

Olivier waved.

Lyney motioned to Freminet. "And this is Freminet, one of my other brothers."

Freminet lowered his head awkwardly. "H-hello."

"One of your other brothers? How many do you have?!" Gaming looked amazed.

Lyney glanced over at the rest of his family, having briefly forgotten the number. Nanteuil and Sotto were technically no longer his brothers, so they didn't count.

"Too many," Lyney huffed.

Olivier spoke up, "Six brothers, and three sisters!"

"Whoa!" Gaming laughed. "I'm an only child, I can't imagine having so much family." He looked up at Lyney again, seeming to notice his tired expression. "Are you the oldest?"

Lyney sighed, guiding Olivier back to his seat. "How could you tell?"

"You're the most protective." He tilted his head slightly, and his brown hair moved out of his face. Lyney caught a glimpse of that silver piercing Freminet had mentioned earlier. "At least, from what I've seen."

Gaming glanced over the family, and jumped slightly. Without turning around, Lyney knew exactly who the boy had caught staring into his soul.

Lyney sighed. "That's our Father. Don't mind her, she likes to scare people." He could feel Father's glare pierce the back of his head. He smirked slightly, as that was the most he could do. If it were one of his siblings, he would have stuck his tongue out at them or flipped them off. "Anyway, I'm sure you have to get back to your friends," Lyney glanced over Gaming's shoulder at his friends, one boy with white hair and one person with blue hair. "Thanks again for rescuing my brother."

Gaming smiled. "Don't thank me so much, it was just the right thing to do."

"Oh… But surely there's some way to repay you?" Lyney asked.

Gaming pursed his lips. "Well… I'm performing a Wushou dance tomorrow night, by the dock in front of Bailu Guesthouse! How about you all come see the show?"

Lyney tilted his head in consideration. "That sounds… fun." And right in front of where they were staying, so not far at all… "How much for a ticket?"

"Oh, no, it's free! Just enjoy the show, I'll consider that payment enough."

Lyney opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. He then opened his mouth again to thank Gaming, but couldn't find the correct way to say it, so he closed his mouth once again.

"You're a performer? That's… Cool."

Gaming beamed. "Yep! Anyway, like you said, I should get back to my friends. See you all tomorrow night?"

Lyney nodded. "Yeah. Definitely."

The boy bounded off to join his two friends, and Lyney sat down, happy to no longer be on his feet.

"Why did you talk to him for so long?" Freminet mumbled, still ducking his head shyly.

Lyney grinned. "Because we now have plans for tomorrow night."

After everyone went back home, Lyney intended to go straight to bed, but Lynette grabbed him and pulled him into her room.

"Lyney, I… I'm sorry about earlier," she apologized, something she rarely did. "I'm just really worried."

"I'm fine," Lyney reassured. "I just… I just wasn't hungry this afternoon, and I was trying not to worry anyone."

"Brother," she murmured. "This is a problem, you know."

"It's really not."

Lynette huffed. "This is exactly what I'm talking about… You do this every time, you start skipping meals and watching what you eat, you claim it 'won't be like last time', but—"

"I get it," Lyney mumbled. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Lyney couldn't answer.

Lynette sighed. "You never listen to me… Just… It's a slippery slope, you know. Be careful."

"I'm always careful."

Lynette met his gaze with sad violet eyes that made him want to hug her tight and reassure her, just like he'd been doing for the past twenty-two years. But just as he reached out, Lynette walked past him, and grabbed her nightgown off the foot of her bed.

"Goodnight, Lyney."

Lyney slowly lowered his hands. "G-goodnight…" He stood still for a moment, shocked that she'd just rejected him like that. She hadn't done that for… Lyney couldn't recall that ever happening.

But if she didn't want him, then… He'd leave.

Lyney padded out of the room, and headed for his. Freminet was standing by the bed, so Lyney quickly changed into pajamas before they both got into bed together.

While Lynette preferred the right side of the bed, both of her brothers had a preference for the left side… Which naturally meant that Lyney would take the right side and allow his little brother to have the left.

Lyney had expected Lynette to join them again that night, but… Well, best not to think about that. Just the thought of his sister was making him tear up.

"Comfy?" Lyney asked, wiping his face

Freminet nodded. "Mhm… Are— are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Lyney rolled over to face away from Freminet.

"You sure?"

"Let's talk about something else."

Father entered the room and turned the lights back on so she could change into her pajamas, so Lyney quickly hid his face under the blankets. If there was any redness around his eyes, he couldn't risk Father seeing that.

Father didn't like it when the children cried, after all.

Freminet reached for his hand underneath the blankets, and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Father went to change, Freminet got out of bed and gathered a few things. First was a few tissues from the nightstand, then Lyney's water bottle (which he'd left all the way across the room), then he grabbed Mittins. He tucked all of them under the blankets beside Lyney, then he climbed back in bed.

Father finished changing into her pajamas, so she turned the lights off and got into her bed.

"Goodnight, Father," Lyney called.

"Goodnight, children," Father answered. Her tone was gentle, which much relieved Lyney. He worried she might still be a bit upset at him. Lyney would have been pretty upset if he ruined the day for Father…

Freminet tucked the tissues into Lyney's hand, which Lyney gratefully took. He wiped his face, then took a sip from his water bottle, before he tucked it between their pillows. He tried to hand Mittins to Freminet, but Freminet just pushed her back into Lyney's hands.

"For you," Freminet whispered.

Lyney didn't protest. Mittins was soft, and quite comfortable to hold… He certainly needed that.

"Thank you," Lyney whispered. "Goodnight, Freminet…"

Freminet smiled softly. "Goodnight, Lyney."

After dinner at the guesthouse, the family went outside to see the Wushou dance. Lyney had never seen one in person, so getting to see one for free was quite the opportunity. Lyney felt a bit bad, surely the kid deserved some sort of compensation for his work, no matter how amateur. That's how Lyney and Lynette started out, after all.

No crowd had formed yet, but a few people were setting up a small stage and some chairs. Even the boy, Gaming, was there helping set up, wearing a much fancier outfit than the day before.

"Hiii!" Olivier ran up to him. "We're all here! Except for Father, she's busy."

Gaming smiled at the little boy. "Oh, well that's alright." He looked up, quickly caught Lyney's eye, and waved at him.

Lyney waved back. "Hi, Gaming!"

"You all can sit up front, since you're the first here!" the young man finished adjusting the first row of chairs.

"Ahem!" his friend, the blue-haired kid cleared their throat. "Chongyun and I were here first!"

The white-haired boy, Chongyun, nodded in agreement.

"You're helping set up, that doesn't count!" Gaming stuck his tongue out at them.

Olivier sat down in the very middle of the front row. Freminet sat down beside him, clutching Pers tight in his lap. Lyney decided to sit down next to Freminet.

Lynette walked over, seemingly intending to sit beside Lyney, but Estella took that spot before Lynette was close enough. Lynette's ears flattened, but instead of asking Estella to move, she walked past Lyney and sat far away from him.

Lyney forced himself not to look at her. Perhaps it was for the best, after all, the two hadn't spoken all day. The thought of being so distant from his sister… It left a bad taste in Lyney's mouth. But it was just a day. They'd both be fine.

"Oh, is that a penguin?" Gaming rushed to stand in front of Freminet.

Freminet held Pers up a bit. "You mean Pers?"

"Is that its name? Cool!"

Freminet nodded.

"And is that a wind-up key?" Gaming pointed to Pers' key.

Freminet nodded again. "Y-yeah, I can show you." Freminet wound Pers up, then let it spin around in his palms.

"Whoooa! That's dope," Gaming exclaimed. "I've seen something similar before, one of my dad's employees bought this cool mechanical penguin from Fontaine for his son. He showed it to me, it actually looks really similar to yours… Oh, maybe it's the same model!"

Freminet looked away. "Y-yeah, that is possible. There were twenty-one sold…"

"You know that off the top of your head? That's neat!" Gaming sounded quite impressed with Freminet's memory.

Of course Freminet knew how many units were sold; he designed them and built them all by himself!

Lyney nudged Freminet. "Come onnn, tell him!"

Freminet hid his face behind Pers. "Lyney," he whined.

"Come on, it's cool!"

Freminet's cheeks were slightly red as he lowered Pers. "F-fine. I actually… Um…"

Gaming tilted his head, waiting patiently.

"I actually… um… designed them," he mumbled. "Pers was the first…"

"You designed them? Whaaat? That's so cool!" Gaming grinned excitedly, and for the first time, Lyney noticed the little gap between his front teeth. He looked up, then gasped. "Oh! More people are coming, I need to finish setting up! Hey, hey, I wanna hear all about the penguins after the show, okay?"

Freminet nodded. "O-okay…"

Gaming ran off, waving at Freminet as he left.

Freminet hid behind Pers again. "He doesn't wanna hear about mechanics," he whined. "He'll get bored…"

Lyney patted Freminet's shoulder. "Hey, he sounded pretty excited when you told him you made Pers yourself." Lyney purred softly. "He's such a sweet kid. I wonder how old he is, can't be much older than you…"

"What are you getting at?" Freminet mumbled.

Lyney giggled. "You could make a friend."

Freminet whimpered, and shook his head. "That— that won't happen…"

"You never know, don't be silly." Lyney put his arm around Freminet's shoulders. "And, besides, if it doesn't work out, at least you tried, hm?"

Freminet sighed. "I guess…"

"You made friends with Charlotte," Lyney reminded. "You still write to her, don't you?"

"Sometimes… But Charlotte is older than you. I know how to talk to older people. Not… Not people my age."

"Well, it's time to start!" Lyney let go of Freminet and sat up in his chair.

"I'll try, I promise," Freminet mumbled.

"Good." Lyney gently rubbed Estella's shoulder.

The seats around them filled up rather quickly, as the sun slowly set behind them. The sky turned orange and dusky pink, filled with fluffy clouds, and the faintest hint of the waning moon was visible over the horizon.

Gaming stepped onto the makeshift stage, and waved at the crowd. Estella waved back at him, and he smiled brightly at her.

"Hello everyone!" Gaming greeted. "Thank you for coming tonight. My name is Yip Gaming, and I'm going to perform the best Wushou dance you've ever seen!" He pulled his hood up, and many orange lights on his costume began to glow.

"Whoa," Lyney murmured. "Ask him about that later," he told Freminet, who didn't even acknowledge his brother.

Gaming manifested a glowing Wushou head from thin air, and held it up above his head, opening and closing the mouth a few times in demonstration. "This one is called… 'The Beast in the Mountains'."

Chongyun pushed a wooden backdrop behind the stage, gray mountains with rocky peaks. The other boy stepped behind the mountains with some cardboard props in his arms. Lyney watched as Chongyun pressed a button on a small radio that sat in front of the stage… Then the performance began.

Through dance moves that looked much like martial arts, cardboard props, traditional Liyuean music with loud drums, and a very fiery creature that Lyney almost believed was real, Gaming told a story. A story of a young lion who traveled to the mountains, met the small beast who lived within, and had to fight for his life. He tried to hide, or to run, but the beast would always catch up and attack once again. But at last, the lion managed to befriend the small beast.

Not once did Gaming have to utter a word.

"Reminds me of a cat," Lyney whispered to Freminet as the little beast rubbed its head against the lion's cheek.

The music came to an end, the little beast disappeared, and Gaming threw the Wushou head into the air; it vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. He pulled his hood down, and the lights turned off. On his face was not a look of exhaustion as Lyney had expected, but a beaming smile, and bright eyes, despite the sweat rolling down his cheeks.

The audience began to clap loudly, and Lyney was more than happy to join in. The kid deserved much applause after a show like that. It was small, yes, but very well done.

Gaming waved, and wiped the sweat off his brow. He motioned for the other two boys to come up on stage. "Thank you so much to my friends for helping me with my show!"

The other two boys seemed a bit awkward on stage, but still seemed happy to be there as the audience clapped for them as well.

Gaming wiped more sweat off his face, laughing slightly as his friend said something to him. How could someone look so genuinely happy after performing something so exhausting, Lyney wondered. He'd have to practice that for his next shows…

The audience slowly began to leave, heading home for the night. It was getting late, after all.

Gaming and his friends began putting everything away.

Lyney stood from his seat. "Hey, is there anything I can help with? I'm experienced with large props like this."

"Really?" the blue-haired kid smiled. "That would be great, these are heavy."

"I-I'll help, too," Freminet stood up and headed over. He had built wooden backgrounds like this before for Lyney's shows, though Lyney rarely used background props anymore.

The five of them dismantled the props and stage and put them away in their boxes. Freminet worked the fastest, after all, he'd been building stuff like this for years.

"Wow, you two are faster than I am," Gaming exclaimed. "Heh, and I built most of these."

"We've been doing this stuff for a long time," Lyney said as he carefully put the mountains in their crate.

"Oh, really?" the blue-haired kid asked. "Do you work in a theater?"

Lyney didn't look at any of them. "Yeah, something like that." It seemed none of them recognized him… It was nice not to be Fontaine's Great Magician for once.

Gaming closed the crates. "That's everything! Thank you so much for helping."

Lyney smiled, tilted his head. "You're very welcome. The show was amazing, I was quite impressed. You do this often?"

Gaming grinned. "All the time! It's like my favorite thing in the world."

That didn't even sound exaggerated, Lyney noticed. Did he really like performing so often? Lyney only did it because it was his job…

"Well, it's good to have a career you love."

"Oh yeah! My dad wanted me to inherit his business, but I wanted to be a Wushou dancer, so here I am." Gaming put his hands on his hips. "I work as a guard for the postal service as my day job, though. Heh, gotta keep food on the table somehow!"

Lyney hummed. "Yeah. Always a good thing." He was started to get tired. Gaming was a very energetic person, but Lyney could only pretend to have energy for so long. Freminet, however, looked wide awake, which was just what Lyney wanted. "Hey, Freminet, didn't he want you to tell him about your mechanics?"

Freminet hid behind Pers, while Gaming beamed. "Oh, please! That stuff is so cool!"

"D-don't you have to move all this stuff?"

Gaming shrugged. "Teeechnically, I don't have to move it until morning. So you can tell me!"

Chongyun huffed slightly. "That's our Gaming, always making friends."

Lyney purred. "I'll take everyone else to bed," he informed Freminet. "Just come inside whenever you're ready."

Freminet glanced between Lyney and the door to the guesthouse, as if planning an escape route.

"Yeah. I'll be in later."

Lyney waved at him, before he started gathering up the rest of the siblings. Most of everyone had gone inside already, but Foltz and Estella were still lingering. He took them both inside, and Lyney went to his room to change into his pajamas.

"Oh, Father, you've been in here the whole time?"

Father, who was lying in bed, nodded against her pillow. "Yes. I was… too tired."

"But… Not in pain, right?"

Father coughed slightly. "Only a bit. Much less than usual."

"Well, that's a relief," Lyney sighed. "Let me know if anything changes, okay?"

"Of course I will."

Lyney changed into his pajamas, then went to look out the window. Freminet and Gaming were still sitting by the dock; Gaming's friends appeared to have left. It was hard to tell from this distance, but… It looked like Freminet and Gaming were getting along.

Creaaak.

The door slowly opened, and Lyney turned around. Lynette stepped into the room, wearing a gray nightgown.

"Lyney," she greeted softly.

"Lynette," he answered.

His sister moved to stand beside him at the window. "I heard you set our brother up with that dancer," she murmured.

"Pfft, you make it sound like they're on a date," Lyney purred.

Lynette elbowed him. "You know what I mean. I'm glad he's so willing to make a friend."

"Well, that kid is a sweetheart. He saved Olivier from the water yesterday, you know." Lyney yawned. "I hope he and Freminet get along."

Lynette nodded. "Me too." She leaned against Lyney's shoulder. Lyney put his arm around her.

The two stayed like that for a moment, watching their little brother and his (hopefully) new friend.

"Do you… Do you wanna stay here tonight?" Lyney offered.

Lynette purred. "Sure."

Chapter Text

Lyney's day started with him standing beside Father's bed before dawn, way before either of them was awake enough to process what was happening. He could vaguely recall the sound of her coughing, the blurry action of getting out of bed to make sure she was okay.

"I've got you," Lyney reassured with a tired rasp, placing a gentle hand on her forehead.

Father coughed again. "T-thank you," she murmured.

"Does it hurt?" Lyney whispered. Freminet was fast asleep on the other side of the room, but it was too easy to wake him up with a loud voice. The children of the House of the Hearth were all light sleepers.

Father coughed again. "Just a bit."

"Here, let me help." Lyney picked up his Vision from the nightstand, clutching it tight in his hand to absorb the Pyro energy. He pressed his other hand to the back of Father's neck, focusing all the fire straight to the back of her throat. His head began to spin, stomach gnawed painfully at his abdomen, (though that might have been because he did not eat much dinner last night).

"Lyney," Father warned him once. When he didn't answer, she tried again. "That's enough."

Lyney didn't register her words in time. "What?"

With a bruising grip, Father ripped his hand away from her neck. As dark as it was, Lyney could still see the faintest wisp of steam blooming from his hand.

"Oh god!" Lyney tossed his Vision away, waving his hand around to cool it off. "I didn't— I didn't burn you, did I?"

Father didn't answer, too busy clutching a hand to the back of her neck.

Lyney turned the bedside lamp on and glanced around the room, as if he was going to find anything cold. There was no freezer with ice packs, and he couldn't just go ask the receptionist for one, she probably wasn't in yet.

The faint, pale glow of Freminet's Cryo Vision caught his eye, and Lyney quickly snatched it off the nightstand. Holding the cold Vision in his left hand, he tried to summon some ice into his right hand, like he could effortlessly summon fire with his own Vision.

Nothing. Not even a tiny crackle of energy.

Of course, Lyney realized as clarity began to set in, he couldn't just use someone else's Vision. Perhaps he could use someone else's Delusion, but Father's was also Pyro, and it was tucked away somewhere not even Lyney was allowed to know.

Freminet's Vision was still cold against his hand, despite the fact that Lyney's body heat should have warmed it up a long time ago…

"My god, I'm so stupid," Lyney muttered aloud, pressing Freminet's Vision against the back of Father's neck. The area was red, but Lyney could not see any blisters or swelling. It seemed he had not burned Father quite so badly.

"If you were trying to kill me, you'll have to try harder than that next time," Father huffed. Lyney couldn't tell if that was a joke or not, but he sure hoped it was.

"That's not funny," Lyney hissed. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?"

Freminet stirred, making a small whining noise as he woke up.

"I'm fine," Father tried to swat him away. Lyney swiped at her hand in return, still trying to soothe the burn with Freminet's Vision.

Freminet rolled over in bed. "What's going on?" he groaned.

"Nothing," Father said, at the same time as Lyney said, "Go back to bed."

"Huh?" Freminet rubbed his eye with one hand, using the other to lift himself into a sitting position. "What in the world… Is that my Vision?!"

"No." Lyney moved to block Freminet's view with his body. "Everything is fine, go back to sleep."

The blankets rustled as Freminet rolled over. "Ow! What the… Why is your Vision here?" He pulled Lyney's Pyro Vision from underneath himself.

"Uhhh… No idea." Lyney snatched it away from his brother.

Freminet narrowed his eyes at Lyney, and held out his hand. "Give me my Vision back."

Lyney blinked at him. "I don't have it," he lied.

"Give him back his Vision," Father mumbled, rolling onto her back.

Lyney tossed Freminet's Vision towards him. The arm and shoulder motion made his head spin again, and Lyney suddenly felt this overpowering urge to lie down.

He turned the lamp off, placed his Vision down on the nightstand, and nearly collapsed onto the floor on his way back into bed.

Lyney really needed to learn how to heal without draining every single ounce of his energy. And next time, he would do it when he wasn't half-asleep.

Lyney awoke to the morning sun— no, afternoon sun shining on his face. The clock read 4:33pm—he'd slept through almost the entire day.

Lyney groaned and rolled over in bed, only for a hand to grasp his shoulder.

"Good afternoon," his twin purred, looking down at him with her signature deadpan expression. "You slept all day."

Lyney hummed. "Yeah. I know," he rasped. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Lynette said. "I was about to wake you up."

"Hm." Lyney forced himself to sit up. "My god, I'm exhausted."

Lynette's brow furrowed in concern. "You're still exhausted?" She put a hand on his forehead, which Lyney quickly swatted away.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine once I have some dinner." Lyney slid out of bed. Just on cue, his stomach growled.

Lynette's ear twitched.

"Where's everyone else?" Lyney yawned.

"Father is with the younger children at some kind of event, Chapleau and Sylvestre are somewhere, and last time I saw Freminet, he and Gaming were down by the docks."

"He's with Gaming again?" Lyney picked out some clothes and, after drawing the curtains closed, began to change right beside the bed. It was more convenient to sit down while he changed, luckily it was just Lynette.

"Yes, he is. I'm glad they're getting along so well," Lynette tugged the pants right out of his hands. "These don't match your shirt."

Lyney thought about it for a moment, concluded that Lynette was right, and began searching his bag for another pair of pants.

"Our little brother is growing up so fast," Lyney held up another pair of pants for Lynette's scrutiny. "Making friends all on his own."

"Not that pair. And it's not on his own, you helped."

Lyney picked up a third pair of pants. "Well, it's still better than before—what about these?"

"Perfect."

Lyney put them on. "I don't think Father is too sure about Gaming. Though I'm not sure if it's in a protective way or in her usual 'I dislike people' way."

Lynette gave a slight shrug. "Could be both. Though, Freminet has been willingly hanging out with him for the last week. She's probably realized he can't be that bad."

Lyney nodded. He took a brush to his hair, and allowed Lynette to pin a bow to the side of his head.

"Come on, come on," Lyney put his shoes on, then tugged at his sister's wrist. "I'm hungry!"

Lynette smiled; Lyney couldn't quite place it, but something felt… off. Like she was upset.

"Nettie… Are you alright?"

Lynette nodded. "Yes. I'm alright. Come on, I'm hungry, too."

The twins headed downstairs to the dining area. Despite it only being 5 o'clock, Freminet was already sitting at a table, beside his friend, Gaming. The two were engaged in conversation, and by that, it meant Gaming was talking fast and animated while Freminet sat quiet and listened intently.

"Freminet!" Lyney greeted, sitting right beside his little brother. Lynette headed off to order some food. "Hi, Gaming, it's nice to see you again."

Gaming waved. "Hiii! We were just talking about Wushou dancing. Er— I was talking about Wushou dancing."

"I thought it was interesting," Freminet mumbled.

"It sounds interesting to me!" Lyney smiled. "I can certainly appreciate the effort it takes to perform with something so heavy. Aren't the lion heads around… half your weight?"

Gaming nodded. "About fifty to a hundred pounds. Mine is ninety-nine exactly."

Lynette's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Wow, that's heavy," Lyney exclaimed. "I can't imagine." He patted Freminet's shoulder. "Though, I'm sure Freminet could carry something that heavy. He's quite skilled with his claymore."

Freminet shook his head, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Oh, a claymore?" Gaming beamed. "You didn't tell me that! That's so cooooool, I use a claymore too!"

"O-oh, really? That is kinda cool…"

"Ooh! We should totally practice together one day!" Gaming was practically vibrating with excitement—seriously, how could someone have so much energy?

"Really?" Freminet shifted slightly in his seat. "Our styles are probably really different though…"

Lyney rubbed his shoulder. "Sounds like you both could learn something new."

Lynette returned to the table and sat down across from Lyney. "I'm sure Father would approve."

Gaming waved at her. "Hello!"

Lynette nodded. "I ordered dinner," she said. "Rice for everyone. Meat and vegetables for you two," she motioned at her brothers, "And some pork buns for you," she motioned to Gaming.

Gaming beamed. "Awww, how'd you know I like those?"

"Freminet told me."

Freminet hid behind Lyney.

"Aww, Fremi," Lyney purred. "It's not embarrassing."

"I want my helmet," he whispered.

"So… What did you get to eat?" Gaming asked Lynette.

"Some soup. And some tea."

Freminet's face was still nestled in Lyney's shoulder. Lyney put an arm around him.

"Tired?" Lyney asked.

Freminet nodded. "I didn't sleep well…"

"Aw. I'm sorry," Lyney rubbed his arm, beginning to feel a bit guilty. He'd woken Freminet up super early, after all.

When the food arrived, everyone passed the bowls around until everyone had their food in front of them.

Freminet moved to serve himself some meat, but Lynette's arm shot across the table and grabbed his wrist before his chopsticks could touch the meat.

"That one's the spicy one," she warned, guiding his hand and chopsticks to the other bowl. "Here, this one is the okay one."

Freminet nodded gratefully, taking a good amount of the non-spicy pork.

"You can pass me the spicy one," Lyney purred.

Freminet handed the spicy bowl to Lyney, who piled his bowl high before placing the meat back in the middle of the table.

"So, Freminet, how come you didn't sleep well?" Lynette asked.

He shrugged. "I had a weird dream last night," Freminet mumbled.

"Oh? Tell us about it," Lyney leaned forward to listen.

Freminet rubbed his temple. "I think it was a dream. It was so weird, it couldn't really be anything else…"

"Go on," Lyney encouraged just before putting a bite of meat and rice into his mouth.

"I remember… In the dream, I woke up, and you were standing over Father, holding my Vision…"

Lyney coughed as he nearly choked on his meat.

"That is weird," Gaming said around a char siu bun.

"Y-yeah, that is weird," Lyney said between coughs. The spice burned when it went down the wrong way.

Freminet gave Lyney a suspicious look. "...I asked you why you had my Vision, but you denied it. Then… then I rolled over and ended up landing on top of yours."

"That's strange! Why would— why would my Vision be in the bed?"

Freminet sighed. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"Definitely a dream," Lyney said, picking up another bite of food. "You were just dreaming."

Lynette appeared very confused. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but decided against it, quickly closing her mouth.

"You two are weird," she finally said.

Lyney ducked his head, and quickly ate his rice while Lynette changed the subject. The other three began talking about life back in Fontaine, which Lyney was more than content to just listen to.

Naturally, the subject of Fontaine's water came up, and Freminet began talking about diving.

"I did kinda want to swim while we're here, but I haven't seen any water that is safe to swim in… The harbor is always full of boats, and the pools are for decoration…"

"Oh, swimming? I know a good spot!"

Freminet looked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, just outside of the city, actually. My other friends and I were planning to go tomorrow afternoon, but if you and your siblings want to come, you can!"

Swimming. Great. Lyney couldn't go swimming. It was not a matter of skill; he could traverse the water just fine when he was alone. Or just with his family.

Lyney couldn't risk exposing his arms. Absolutely not. He'd left his long-sleeved swim shirt at home, and it was always nearly impossible to find a swim shirt that was both long-sleeved and wouldn't make him look like a girl.

Lyney glanced down at his half-empty bowl of rice and pork; the thought of finishing it made him feel a bit sick. Though perhaps the nausea was from his emotions rather than a physical illness… And he didn't want Lynette to worry.

Lyney waited until Lynette was looking at him to take a bite, which he forced himself to chew completely before he swallowed it. When Lynette looked away, Lyney only played with his food instead.

"I'm gonna go upstairs," Lyney said, standing up.

Lynette glanced at his bowl, which still had food in it. "Before you finish eating?"

Lyney nodded. "I… I don't feel very good." It wasn't a lie at all. Just vague.

Lynette sighed. "Okay… Just eat later, okay?"

"I will."

Gaming frowned. "Aww. I hope you feel better soon!"

Lyney forced a smile. "Thanks." Lyney waved at Freminet, before quickly darting towards the stairs that led to the rooms.

Lyney entered his room, clutching his stomach. Father was sitting on her bed, holding a book in her hands. She looked up at him, nodded in acknowledgment, and returned to whatever she was reading.

Lyney stood by the door for a moment. He hadn't expected Father to be up here; he hadn't seen her enter the building. Lyney glanced at Father, then at her suitcase, suddenly getting an idea.

"Father?"

"Yes, Lyney?" She looked up at him again.

"Do you have my… my testosterone with you?"

Father always kept the vial hidden away in her office, Lyney only ever saw it when she or Lynette was giving him his monthly injection. Lyney couldn't remember when his next dose was, but he knew it was during the vacation. Even though it was painful, he always felt better about himself after a dose.

Father nodded. "Yes. I have it. But you don't get a dose until the fourth."

The fourth… That day would mark a whole year since Lyney had last hurt himself. What a coincidence.

"You're sure?"

Father sat up straighter. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Can I get it early?" Lyney began to fidget with the cuff of his sleeve.

"No." Father placed her book down. "You don't get it until the fourth, no matter how bad you feel."

This was probably why Father insisted on keeping it with her, Lyney realized.

"But—"

"It's medication," Father interrupted sharply. "You will get the correct dose, at the correct time, and no sooner."

"Yes, Father…" Lyney sat down on his bed. He almost expected Father to ask why he was upset, but she said nothing, only returning to her book.

Lyney kicked his shoes off, then curled up on top of the blankets. He'd be fine, he just wouldn't go swimming. He could stay here and practice his magic tricks or read a book.

"Why are you sulking?" Father asked, turning the page of her book.

Lyney huffed. "I… I just feel… dysphoric. That's all."

Father looked at him. "You're not a girl, Lyney." It was a simple, obvious statement, but that was just what Lyney needed.

Lyney smiled slightly. "Thanks…"

Father picked something up off her nightstand. "Here. I got this for you." She tossed a book at him.

Lyney caught it. It was thin and brightly colored, and Lyney thought for a moment it was some fantasy story.

"Healing magic for dummies," he read aloud. "I think I've read this before."

"We have a copy in the library," she informed. "But, I figured you could use a personal copy. It might help."

Lyney flipped through the book, breathing in the earthy smell of the paper. "Thanks. You're the best."

For a moment, he saw a smile cross Father's face.

"How's your neck, by the way?" Lyney sat up, setting the book aside.

"Fine."

"Can… Can I see?"

Father sighed, but moved her long ponytail aside and pulled her collar down. It didn't look fine to Lyney. A distinct, red handprint sat on the back of her neck, right where Lyney usually healed her from.

"I'm so sorry," Lyney winced.

Father covered it up again. "It's alright. Nobody has seen it."

Lyney sighed. He picked up his reading glasses from the nightstand, deciding it was best to read his new book now. Otherwise, the next time he tried to treat Father's irritated throat, it might turn out just as poorly as last night…

The next day was the first of October. That afternoon, Freminet had excitedly dressed in his diving suit and prepared to head out to meet up with Gaming. Lynette had put her swimsuit on, also going along. Some of their other siblings were going, but Lyney had already decided to stay in his room.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come?" Lynette asked.

Lyney nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, we're not leaving yet," Freminet said. "So you have time to change your mind."

"I know," Lyney smiled. "But I don't think I will. Go have fun, okay?"

Freminet and Lynette shared a sad look.

"We will," Lynette said. "You too."

The two left the room.

Lyney sat down on the floor beside his bed, turning a deck of cards absentmindedly in his hand as he looked around the room for any other ideas on what he could do. He spotted a glass bottle sticking out of his suitcase—he'd bought a strawberry Fonta a few days ago and never opened it.

He put the cards away and pulled the bottle out. The pink liquid bubbled slightly at the motion, and Lyney began to remove the metal lid with his bottle opener.

The door opened. Lyney looked up, expecting to see Freminet coming back for something he'd forgotten, but it was Father. Her hair was wet and she had a towel around her shoulders, as she'd just been in the shower. She wore a set of pajamas rather than her usual day wear.

"Aren't you going swimming with everyone?" Father asked. It seemed she was hoping to have the room to herself.

Lyney finally got the lid off the Fonta bottle. Pop! "Not going."

"Do you need a swimsuit?" Father asked. "I can buy you a new swimsuit if you forgot yours at home."

Lyney swirled the soda around in the glass bottle. "I don't want a new swimsuit."

"Oh? Do you have one with you?"

Lyney shook his head, then took a sip from his bottle. The taste of strawberry bubbled across his tongue, fizzing intensely in his throat as he swallowed. "I don't want to go swimming."

"Why not?"

Lyney huffed. "You know why." He gestured to his arm.

Father narrowed her dark eyes at him. "Lyney. The scars are not very visible—"

"Yes they are," Lyney cut her off.

"Only because you know they are there. Nobody else will notice." Father stepped closer, towering over him in a way she seemed to think would intimidate him. "Unless, of course, they're fresh." Her tone was accusatory, but Lyney didn't break. He had nothing to hide, after all.

He took a large swig from his bottle. "Pfft. No."

Father didn't speak again for a few moments, as if debating whether or not she believed him.

"Old scars should not be visible enough to worry you this much."

"Any amount of visible is bad," Lyney hissed. He took another drink of soda, giving himself a moment to gather his thoughts. "My whole career revolves around my public identity, if someone sees the scars and— and takes a picture—" Lyney swirled the pink soda around in the bottle, grimacing as he pictured the potential headlines. "I'm done for. 'Great Magician Lyney, a psychopath who mutilated himself.' "

"That's not going to happen," Father tried to reassure.

"Yeah, everyone thinks 'it won't happen to me'," Lyney hissed. "I'm sure you thought the same before you got can—" he stopped halfway through his awful sentence, realizing a moment too late the horrible mistake he'd made.

Father's shoulders sank.

"I'm sorry, Father," he murmured.

Father didn't answer for a long moment. "You… You make a good point."

"I— I'm really sorry," Lyney's voice cracked. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright," Father mumbled, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I… understand."

Lyney stared at his half-empty Fonta bottle, now certain he didn't want the rest.

"I— I can try finding a long-sleeved swimshirt."

"I don't want to swim," Lyney repeated. But he felt too guilty to stay in the same room as Father, so he set his soda on the nightstand and put his boots on. "I— I'll just go."

Father nodded.

"Remember your tea," Lyney reminded as he departed. He didn't stay long enough to hear Father's response, if she even responded at all.

"Oh, Lyney, I thought you weren't coming," Heloir greeted him.

Lyney shrugged. "I decided I'll just come hang out. I suppose I don't have to get in the water."

"Good thinking," Chapleau laughed. "I was going to do the same."

Gaming's friends were a lively bunch, splashing and chasing each other through the water. The blue-haired boy, whose name was Xingqiu, was there, along with a girl called Xiangling. Lynette was sitting on a rock beside the water, kicking her bare feet along the surface to create ripples. The younger children had joined Gaming and his friends in being rowdy, while Sylvestre and Freminet were sitting near the lush water plants, engaged in conversation.

Chapleau and Lyney sat near the edge beside the pile of everyone's towels and shoes, just taking in the scenery. The waterfalls that fed into the little pond roared loudly, but the one that fed out of the pond was much quieter. The plants were a bright green, and there were even a few fish in the water, though they'd long been scared into hiding by all the humans in their water.

"Hey, Freminet!" Gaming called, just before Xingqiu shoved him under the water. Freminet looked over to see Gaming emerge from beneath the surface, completely soaked. "Wanna see Xingqiu get his hair wet?" He turned to Xingqiu with an evil grin.

Xingqiu yelped and tried to swim away. Unlike everyone else, his hair was almost completely dry, except for the very ends.

Gaming scooped up a bunch of water in his hands and tossed it over Xingqiu's head. Xingqiu somehow managed to dodge, but Gaming scooped up more water.

"Get him!" Chapleau encouraged.

Gaming tossed more water over Xingqiu's head, and it hit. Xingqiu wailed as his blue hair became completely soaked.

Lyney picked at the damp grass he sat on, trying his best to focus on everyone around him rather than his own stupid head.

He regretted coming along, as he couldn't do anything with everyone anyway. He would have regretted staying in the room, because he would have to be in Father's presence after he'd been so careless with his words.

He looked up when Lynette jumped into the water, and for a moment wished he could join her. But that was impossible.

Gaming picked Foltz up and tossed him into the deepest part of the water. Foltz surfaced with a loud gasp of air, and then swam back to be thrown again.

"My turn, my turn!" Olivier begged.

Lyney glanced down at his arms. If he had to wear long sleeves anyway…

No, that was a bad thought. Lyney forced himself to stare into the water, at the lilypads, at the little fish. Anything but his own body.

He was only a few days away from being clean for a whole year, it wasn't worth it.

It's not worth it, it's not worth it, it's not worth it—

"Hey, Lyney," Chapleau unknowingly interrupted Lyney's mantra. "Do you remember that one time when Foltz tried to do a backflip off of the couch?"

Lyney snorted. "Yeah. He hit the coffee table, didn't he?"

Chapleau nodded. "Look, look. He's trying to do something similar off of that rock."

Lyney looked up. Sure enough, Foltz was gearing up to do some sort of jump off of a rock.

"Hey, Foltz!" Lyney called. "That part isn't deep enough!"

Foltz groaned and got off of the rock. "I was gonna do something cool!" he whined.

"There's rocks on the other end," Chapleau suggested.

"I CAUGHT A FISH!" Estella shrieked, holding up her little hands. "LOOK, LOOK!" Something small slipped between her fingers and splashed into the water. "Aw. It got away."

Lyney purred softly. "That's okay. He probably wants to go back home." Just like me… I'd love to be home right now.

After everyone finished swimming, Lyney helped the younger children dry off before he started to lead everybody back to the city. It was dinnertime, and Estella was only seven, so she was quite worn out.

"Lyney?" Freminet called.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay here a little longer?" Freminet was still standing in the water, hair soaking wet and clinging to his face. He brushed his wet bangs off of his forehead, out of his eyes.

"Um… Yeah, sure. Just come back soon, okay?"

"Thanks." Freminet sat down on the edge of the bamboo dock.

"I'll stay with you!" Gaming said loudly, earning a couple snickers from his two friends.

"We'd love to stay, but I have to help my dad at the restaurant!" Xiangling said as she hurried off.

Xingqiu nodded, drying his hair with his towel. "Yeah, I also have… stuff to do," he said in a way that sounded more like an excuse. "Bye, Gaming, bye Freminet!"

Gaming waved energetically. "Bye!"

Freminet gave a tiny, shy wave.

"Bye, Freminet's siblings," Xingqiu said as he left.

Lyney had never been addressed as such before. Usually Freminet was the one addressed as "the magician's little brother", or something to that effect.

Lyney liked this change. It was nice to see Freminet build an identity of his own, rather than always being in his older siblings' shadow.

"Come on, everyone, let's go eat."

Father didn't join them for dinner.

Lyney knew it was his fault.

He shouldn't have said the things he'd said earlier. He should have just kept his mouth shut and let Father buy him that stupid swimsuit. In fact, most of his problems with Father would go away if he just didn't say anything. She was his Father, she knew best.

She's not much older than me, a voice much like his own reminded him. And I take care of my siblings every day. How much more could she really know?

Lyney excused himself from dinner early to go upstairs and check on her.

"Father?" he whispered as he entered the room. "Are you awake?"

Father didn't respond.

"Father?.." Lyney stepped closer. He could see the steady rise and fall of the covers with each breath she took, which didn't do much to reassure him, but at least she hadn't suddenly died while he was away.

If she had died, their last conversation would have been an argument… Oh, that would have been unforgivable. Lyney would feel so guilty, he'd have no choice but to—

No. Father was alive. He couldn't start thinking of such dark things.

"I— I'm sorry about earlier," Lyney mumbled.

"I know," Father rasped.

Lyney laughed softly. "I thought you were asleep." And "I know" wasn't exactly an "I forgive you".

Father sighed. "I would like to be."

"Okay… I'll be quiet, then."

Father didn't respond. No words of acknowledgement, not even a nod or a hum. She instead pulled her blankets up further and hid beneath them.

Lyney's stomach sank. Father was mad at him. That was fine, he deserved it anyway.

In agonizing silence, Lyney changed into his warmest pajamas and climbed into his cold side of the bed, which also happened to be the one farthest from Father. He wasn't tired by any means, but he couldn't bear the thought of going back downstairs.

Lyney wished he could disappear.

When Freminet eventually entered the room, Lyney quickly pointed to Father, then put that finger to his lips.

Freminet nodded, then, like Lyney had, quietly changed into his pajamas. After a trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair, Freminet settled in bed beside his older brother. The two faced each other; Lyney wasn't keen on a conversation, but his little brother usually didn't talk much.

"Goodnight," Freminet whispered. "Don't do anything weird tonight."

"I never do anything weird." It wouldn't have been weird if Lyney were allowed to explain what was really happening. "You were dreaming."

Freminet sighed. "Whatever you say."

Lyney forced a purr. "Goodnight, Freminet." He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but it was so cold and Father was upset at him and he was the worst—

"Lyney?" Freminet whispered.

"Yes?"

"Are— are you okay?" he asked. "You're shaking."

Lyney nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm okay." He wrapped the blankets tighter around himself. "Just cold."

"Oh. Here," Freminet moved closer, attempting to wrap an arm around Lyney.

Lyney rolled to face away and moved to the edge of the bed in silent rejection. He couldn't handle any sort of affection right now.

Freminet's arm lingered in the air for a moment, as if he were unsure whether or not to listen to his brother. He moved closer, and Lyney's shoulders went stiff.

Freminet backed off. He moved to the opposite edge of the bed and turned over, leaving Lyney alone just how he wanted.

Lyney stared at the window, watching the night sky slowly darken, and listening to Freminet's distant breathing as he fell asleep.

When, several minutes later, Freminet did fall asleep, his breathing had grown so soft to the point Lyney could no longer hear it from all the way across the bed.

Lyney was alone. No, he wasn't alone, there were still other people in the room. Perhaps the word he was looking for was "lonely".

Yes, that was it. He was lonely.

He was lonely, and it was all his fault. He should have been nicer to his dying Father, and he should have just let Freminet cuddle him—maybe Freminet was cold, too, and Lyney had turned him away for reasons he wasn't even aware of. Now, Freminet probably thought he had done something wrong, when it was Lyney who was the problem.

He always was.

I deserve it, don't I? Lyney thought, closing his eyes to prevent himself from tearing up.

Lyney wasn't going to make it to one year. And if his brother and father weren't nearby, he knew he wouldn't have made it through that night.

Chapter Text

Somehow, somehow, the night passed. Lyney did not sleep. Lyney also, miraculously, did not relapse. He spent half of the night lying on his back with his hands pinned underneath him so he couldn't do anything stupid.

As the sun began to rise, Freminet rolled over in his sleep, ended up right beside Lyney. For a moment, Lyney considered pushing him back to his side of the bed. Instead, Lyney wrapped his arms around his baby brother; he could never hurt Freminet, no matter how distressed he got.

"Ly— Lyney?"

"Shh. Back to sleep," Lyney mumbled.

Freminet yawned. "Mhm… Okay…"

Lyney started to purr. Freminet pressed his ear to Lyney's chest, and Lyney pulled him closer. The two remained that way for a little while. Freminet's soft, warm breaths brushed against his chest, while Lyney gently stroked his hair.

The daylight began to light their room, but their window was west-facing, so the sun never shone directly inside. The morning warmth enveloped them both, quickly putting Freminet back to sleep.

Lyney took longer; he always did, but finally, as rainclouds began to cover the sky, Lyney was able to fall asleep.

The entire day of October 2nd, Father was nowhere to be found. She disappeared before Freminet and Lyney woke up again, and when Lyney asked his siblings about her whereabouts, none of them had any idea where she was.

Now, Lyney knew she wouldn't leave them alone forever. Father always came back. But the fact that she hadn't told any of them where she was off to… That was cause for concern. Father never left without notice. She usually told Lyney at the very least, as he was the eldest and was frequently left in charge when she was gone.

Perhaps Father wanted to be left alone.

That was fine. She was a loner by nature, and everyone needed alone time. Especially when you were upset at someone…

Though Lyney had apologized. Multiple times.

Why hadn't she come back? Did something happen?

No, that wasn't likely. Even though she was terminally ill, Father could still defend herself. She was the Knave for a reason. That didn't mean he didn't worry himself sick the whole day, because what if something happened?

It rained heavily all day, so Lyney couldn't even go out to look for her.

"Please eat something," Lynette murmured to him at dinner. Everyone else had left, but Lynette insisted her brother stay until he had eaten at least a few bites.

Lyney shook his head. His anxiety over Father had triggered another round of nausea, and he felt he might throw up if his stomach didn't remain empty.

"Is it about Father?"

"How'd you know?" Lyney laughed.

"It's quite obvious."

Lyney sighed. "We had a bit of a fight yesterday…"

Lynette tilted her head in silent inquiry.

Lyney shook his head, a quiet response. I don't wanna talk about it. He did want to talk about it, but that would require telling her about Father's cancer.

Lynette nodded in understanding.

"I think she's still upset at me. I— I did apologize, but…"

"Give her time," Lynette murmured. "I suppose that's all we can do."

Lyney nodded.

"Will you eat now? Please?"

…

"Brother?"

"Fine. Only a bit."

Lynette purred in contentment.

Lyney forced every bite down, despite his stomach's protests, and somehow didn't instantly throw it up. But it was unavoidable, and he had to move fast.

"M'gonna use the bathroom," he mumbled, quickly standing up. "Be right back."

He was gone before Lynette could say anything else.

Father didn't show up until late that night, when all of her children were already in bed.

"Father, you're back!" Lyney climbed over Lynette and jumped out of bed. "Where were you? Are you okay?" He rushed to her side, looking her over. Water dripped from her hair and clothes, but despite the rain outside, she smelled faintly of smoke.

"Don't worry about that right now," she sighed. "I am… quite tired." Father gathered her pajamas and disappeared behind the folding panels to change.

Lyney sighed. It seemed Father still wanted to be left alone. At least she was safe; that was all that mattered.

"Goodnight," he called.

"Goodnight," Father answered. "Go to bed."

"O…kay." Lyney slowly crawled back into bed between his half-asleep siblings.

"S'everythin' okay?" Freminet mumbled.

"Mhm. Back to sleep," Lyney patted his head.

"You, too," Freminet yawned.

Lyney watched as Father slowly walked across the room to her bed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to."

Oh, Lyney hoped he was mistaken… But it appeared Father was breathing heavily. As if she were in pain.

"It's still raining!" Sylvestre complained loudly the next day over breakfast. "Ugh, it better not be raining tomorrow."

"Easy, now," Chapleau reassured, patting Sylvestre's shoulder. "Your birthday will not be ruined just because of some rain. There's plenty of fun things we can do."

October 4th was going to be a big day for the whole family. Sylvestre's twentieth birthday fell on that date, and it was their last day in Liyue before they had to start traveling home.

Lyney would finally get his testosterone shot—though he was starting to dread the inevitable soreness in his bottom—and he'd be a year free from hurting himself.

Sylvestre sighed. "You're right, sorry."

"It's your birthday," Lyney pointed out. "It's understandable that you want it to be perfect."

Sylvestre rolled his eyes when Lyney spoke, but did nod in agreement.

"But we can't control the weather," Chapleau continued. "So might as well make the most of what we can control."

Like my eating, Lyney thought, staring at his untouched rice. He needed to eat; he couldn't let himself fall into old disordered habits.

"You haven't eaten," Lynette pointed out.

"M'sorry," Lyney mumbled. "I want to. I… I just can't."

Lynette grasped his hand beneath the table and gave a gentle squeeze. "Do you not feel hungry?"

"Somewhat," he sighed.

"You don't have to force yourself if you're not hungry," Lynette reassured. "But if you are hungry…"

"I know, I know…" Lyney sighed. "Perhaps I've had too much rice recently."

Father, who had been silent the whole time, slowly passed her bowl of ramen to Lyney.

"Here, child," she murmured. "Will you eat this?"

Lyney stared at the bowl for a moment. Broth and noodles felt a lot easier to eat than rice. "Yeah. I… I'll try. Thanks."

Lynette pushed Lyney's bowl of rice and chicken to Father. "Well, you still need something, Father. Have this."

Father sighed. "I'll eat it. It… Looks alright."

Lyney slowly ate the ramen, while Father seemed to finish the rice as fast as she could.

"It's awfully spicy," Father mumbled, wiping her lips with her fingertips. Her chest heaved with each breath, which worried Lyney greatly. He'd have to remind her to take her medicine...

"I didn't think it was that bad," Lyney twirled some noodles around his chopsticks.

"Yes, but you seem to have the highest spice tolerance of the family," Father said, before she took a large drink of her water.

Lyney purred softly.

Sylvestre huffed loudly and began loading his rice bowl with the same spicy chicken Father had just eaten.

"I'm sure I can handle more spice!"

"Sure he can," Lynette mumbled.

The whole family watched as Sylvestre stuffed bite after bite of hot chicken into his mouth, even after his eyes started to water. On the last bite, Sylvestre started coughing, and grabbed Chapleau's glass of water, which he drank in less than five seconds.

Father handed him the rest of her glass. "If you want a higher spice tolerance, it's best to start small."

Sylvestre whined slightly, quickly finishing the rest of Father's drink. Estella then handed him her cup of juice, which he drank in one gulp.

"Poor Sylvestre," Lynette sighed.

"All actions have consequences," Lyney chuckled. "If you eat a bunch of spicy food, your mouth is gonna burn."

"That is true," Father agreed as she stood from her chair. "I'll get you some more water," she said to Sylvestre.

Sylvestre nodded, furiously wiping his nose with a napkin.

When Father returned, she placed the glass in front of Sylvestre, then walked back to her seat. As she walked past Lyney, she brushed her hand against his shoulder.

Lyney stiffened under her touch. She didn't immediately withdraw her hand; instead, her palm lingered for a moment before she slowly pulled away.

Lyney looked over at her. Father met his gaze for a brief moment before she looked away.

Her action could have meant a number of things, and not even Lyney could figure out which was the intended meaning. He hoped it meant "I forgive you."

Though it would have been nice to hear her say it aloud.

Father woke Lyney up early the next morning and helped him administer his T-shot. Lyney usually preferred it when Lynette helped him, as Father never allowed him to do it himself.

This time, the reality that Father wouldn't be around to help him in the near future… It hurt more than the actual injection did.

At least she wasn't currently in pain. He'd helped prepare her tea yesterday, and after she drank it, she said she was feeling better again.

"All done," Father murmured as she put a bandage on.

Lyney sat up carefully, wincing when he put weight on his bottom. "Thanks."

Father smiled briefly. "Of course. And happy one year."

That was right. One year. Lyney had done it!

Lyney nodded. "Y-yeah. That's right."

Father left the room to go wish Sylvestre a happy birthday, and Lyney remained seated on Father's bed. He'd never made it to a year before. He'd come close a few times, but every single time, he'd screw it up.

It felt euphoric to finally succeed.

"Good morning, Brother!" Lynette placed a small box into his hands right as he was about to leave his bedroom. "I got you a present. Since you made it a whole year…"

She watched him stare at the box for a moment, as if waiting for him to confess that, no, he was not a year clean and he had relapsed, but he didn't say anything. He hadn't relapsed, so he didn't have anything to hide.

Lyney had been tempted to do so, yes, but he hadn't done so much as pull his hair.

"Thank you, Nettie," he murmured, opening the box. "I should've been clean for longer…"

"Hey, it's okay," she murmured. "We were accused of a murder we didn't even commit, and Freminet almost died. It was understandable that you got so stressed."

"I… I still shouldn't have…"

"No. Of course not. But it's in the past now, right?"

Lyney nodded. "Yes." He opened the box.

Lynette had bought him a small cake with cream cheese frosting. Red velvet crumbs decorated the top, and Lyney's stomach growled at the sight.

"Red velvet," he laughed. "Funny choice."

Lynette narrowed her eyes in confusion, handing him a fork. "Why? You like red velvet."

"Because it's red. Like blood." He grinned.

Lynette's eyes went wide. "I… I didn't think of that." She covered her mouth with her palm, then moved her hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry."

Lyney laughed. "It's fine! I think it's funny."

Lynette shook her head. "It's not funny."

"It is to me!" Lyney set the cake and the fork down on the nightstand. "Come on, let's go wish Sylvestre a happy birthday."

Breakfast went smoothly. Lyney was able to eat without trouble, though he still had to sit carefully. The rain had stopped, so Sylvestre was quite happy about that. Though it was still wet out, and nobody was looking forward to going home in wet weather.

"Since it's our last day in Liyue, we should enjoy it to the fullest," Father said. "Oh, Freminet, I believe your friend is waiting for you." She motioned to the door.

Gaming was standing by the door, and he waved enthusiastically when Freminet looked over.

Freminet waved back, though much more reserved.

"Can I go?" he asked.

Father nodded. "Have fun, child. We'll eat at Wanmin again tonight, Sylvestre specifically requested it."

Freminet stood up and picked Pers up from the table. "Okay… I'll meet you all there." He waved at the family as he left.

Lyney waved goodbye to his little brother. "Bye, Fremi!"

Lynette smiled and waved.

"I'm so proud of him," Lyney said. "He's made a friend."

Lynette nodded. "Me too."

The twins stayed together all day. They went back up to Lynette's room after breakfast so Lyney could eat his cake while they played a board game. Then they went out to explore Liyue. Lynette dragged him to multiple street food shops, and Lyney dragged her into plenty of souvenir and trinket shops.

They stopped to eat at a vendor Lynette picked out; Lyney was very happy to eat fish. Then they stopped at a teahouse to listen to the storyteller. The man told a story about Rex Lapis, Liyue's former archon. Lyney and Lynette knew most of the story already, as Father had taught all her children about the Seven.

Once the story was over, the two took a leisurely walk around town, where they ran into Heloir and Foltz, who also had the idea to explore, it seemed.

"It'll be dinnertime soon," Foltz whined. "I'm hungry."

Lyney smiled. "Me too. Let's walk back together, shall we?"

The four of them walked back to Wanmin Restaurant, where the rest of their family had already gathered.

"Father!" Lyney greeted her.

She looked up. "Hello, Lyney."

Lyney sat right beside her. "I missed you."

She hummed softly. "Hm. It's good to see you again, too."

Lyney purred softly. He leaned against her for a moment, only a few moments because he didn't think she would tolerate anything more. Father didn't react, but that was fine.

Lyney sat straight up again; that was when he noticed Sylvestre glaring at him from across the table. He looked away the moment Lyney noticed him, which confused him even further.

What had Lyney done wrong?

Freminet finally arrived, along with Gaming.

"Fremi!" Lyney greeted. "And Gaming, it's nice to see you, too."

Gaming sat down beside Freminet. "Hello!" He glanced around, and when his eyes landed on Sylvestre, he waved. "Hi! Happy birthday!"

Sylvestre waved back. "Thanks."

Gaming beamed. "Oh, speaking of birthdays. Freminet, I don't think I ever asked when yours was."

"Um…" Freminet hesitated. "September 24th."

"Wait, wait, wasn't that the day before we met? You should've said something!"

Freminet shrugged.

"Happy late birthday, then!" Gaming smiled brightly. "You said you're eighteen, right?"

Freminet nodded.

"Yes! I remembered right! I'll be nineteen on December 22nd."

Freminet hummed softly. "Cool…"

Gaming stayed with the family for dinner. Lyney quite enjoyed his company, mostly because he was so nice to Freminet. His little brother appeared to greatly trust his new friend, which was nothing short of a miracle.

Most of the family began to head back to the guesthouse, Sylvestre still had birthday presents to open, after all. Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet stayed behind.

"We'll catch up!" Lyney called after them. "Just give us a few minutes."

Gaming waved goodbye to them all. "Bye!" He sighed. "I'd say 'see you tomorrow', but… You guys leave tomorrow, right?"

Freminet nodded. "Y-yeah…"

"Aww." Gaming pouted. "I like hanging out with you. You guys are really cool."

"I can give you my address," Freminet mumbled. "So we can write letters."

Gaming gasped. "Oh! Oh, I'd love that!"

Freminet took a pen out of his bag, and wrote their address down on a napkin. Gaming took the napkin with gentle hands, and tucked it safely into his pocket. He took the pen from Freminet and wrote his own address down on another napkin.

"Here!" Gaming handed Freminet both the napkin and the pen. "I'll probably write to you like, right after my performance tomorrow. I have got to prepare for that." He stretched his arms out above his head. "Gotta go to bed early."

"Ooh, I know what that's like," Lyney sighed.

"Oh, really?" Gaming tilted his head.

"I'm… I'm a performer too," Lyney admitted, looking away into the distant sunset.

Gaming nodded. "Right, right. You're a magician, aren't you?"

Lyney jerked around to look at the young man, eyes wide.

Gaming laughed. "I saw you and your sister in the Steambird a few times. Every Fontainian in Yilong Wharf reads it, sometimes I take a peek at the headlines, hehe."

"I— you knew?"

"Yeah."

"And you didn't say anything?"

The young man shrugged. "Eh. I feel like most famous people prefer to be treated as any ordinary person. I do, anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love when people recognize me, but some people are really over the top with it…"

Lyney nodded. "Y-yeah. I really appreciate it."

Lynette nodded. "Me too…"

Freminet stood up. "We should… We should get going."

Gaming sighed, also standing up. "Good idea…" He moved closer to Freminet, arms up like he was going to hug him, then quickly caught himself and backed up. "Ah, sorry, force of habit," Gaming laughed. "Do… do you like hugs?" Gaming asked.

Freminet shrugged. "S-sometimes. Mostly only from my family members…"

"Oh, yeah, I totally get it. I can give you a high five? Or a fist bump? If you don't mind, of course."

Freminet slowly held up a closed fist.

With much less energy than he regularly carried, Gaming gently bumped his fist against Freminet's. It was sweet, Lyney thought, how Gaming was so willing to hold back his enthusiasm to make sure Freminet was comfortable.

"Bye," Freminet murmured. "I… I'll make sure to write."

Lynette motioned for Freminet to go with her as she began to leave. Freminet quickly followed after her, waving goodbye to Gaming one last time.

Lyney remained behind, wanting to say a few final words to the young man.

"Thanks for taking care of my brother," Lyney said. "He… He doesn't really have any friends his age, so whatever you did or said to get him out of his shell… I appreciate it."

Gaming smiled. "It's no trouble. I'm surprised he was able to put up with me and my endless yapping for so long."

Lyney laughed. "Bye, Gaming."

"Byeee!" Gaming waved as Lyney dashed off to join his siblings.

Lyney quickly caught up, panting slightly. "Come on, come on, let's hurry. I wanna go to bed as soon as possible!"

Lynette nodded. "Me too. Come on, Freminet, let's go."

When everyone returned, they all gathered around Sylvestre's bed to give him his presents.

Lyney handed Sylvestre his present first. "Happy birthday. Sorry, it's not much…"

Sylvestre quickly opened it. It was a puzzle, nothing too fancy; it was a picture of some croissants. Sylvestre liked croissants, and he loved to do puzzles, so when Lyney had seen the puzzle in a shop a few months ago, he thought of Sylvestre.

"It's fine… Thanks."

Lyney smiled. He stepped back, and Freminet handed Sylvestre his present.

"Happy birthday," Freminet mumbled. "Um… Goodnight."

Before Sylvestre even opened the package, Freminet left quickly, heading straight to his room. That was odd, Lyney thought. Freminet didn't usually hurry like that unless something was wrong.

He decided to follow.

"Hey, Freminet, are you okay?" Lyney asked, slowly padding into his room. "You just ran off… Are you tired?"

Freminet sat on the floor beside Father's bed. He shrugged as an answer to Lyney's question, which only made Lyney worry more.

"Okay… I'm gonna sit with you," Lyney sat down on the floor beside his brother, wincing when he put pressure on the wrong spot.

Freminet held Pers tight against his chest.

"You can talk to me," Lyney urged. "What's wrong?"

Freminet shrugged again.

"Come on. I won't judge."

"It's stupid," Freminet protested.

"I won't judge even if it's stupid," Lyney reassured. "Besides, it's clearly not stupid if it makes you upset."

Freminet breathed a long sigh. "I… I dunno. I just kinda feel bad," he mumbled.

"Why?"

He sighed. "I… I just feel like I've eaten a lot the past couple of weeks. I… dunno… All of a sudden, I just…"

"Feel guilty?"

Freminet nodded.

"Freminet," Lyney murmured. "You're not worthless if you eat. It doesn't mean you lack self-control, or that you're greedy. It means you're doing what's best for yourself."

Freminet sighed. "T-thanks, Lyney."

Lyney put a gentle arm around Freminet's shoulder. "Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that, too."

Freminet leaned against him. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Of course not. I mean it, I have hard times eating, too."

Freminet fidgeted with Pers' wing. "You can… You can talk to me about it if it helps you feel better…"

Lyney smiled. "Alright. But as long as you talk to me, too, okay?"

"Okay…"

Lyney kissed the top of his head. "Now, let's pack up, okay?"

Freminet nodded. "Yes, yes." He stood up and stretched. "I can't wait to sleep in my room again."

Lyney smiled. "Me too. I can't wait to go home."

Chapter Text

As the family stepped off the boat at Lumidouce Harbor, Lyney's legs wobbled. He was about to fall over, but he clutched Lynette's hand to steady her. In his other hand, he held the handle of his suitcase.

The light smell of Fontainian seawater hit his nose, and he closed his eyes and breathed it in.

"Finally home," Lyney murmured.

Lynette squeezed his hand tightly. "Yeah. Finally home…"

They'd spent the last night at Wangshu Inn once again, before traveling across the water early in the morning. Everybody was tired and excited to be back in Fontaine, but the Hotel Bouffes d'ete was still so far away. Luckily, they only had one more boat to catch, and they'd be back home in time for dinner.

"I'm soooo tired," Estella complained.

"I can't say I disagree with you," Father sighed, patting her youngest daughter's head. "Come on, don't fall asleep now. We'll be home soon."

When they arrived at the house, Furina and Navia were in their kitchen, as it was time to feed the cats their dinner.

"We're home!" Lyney greeted.

Navia gasped and waved, a scoop of food in her other hand. George meowed loudly at her and pressed his face against her leg. She chuckled and knelt to put the food in his bowl.

Furina hid behind Navia as The Knave stepped into the house, but Father simply nodded in greeting before heading upstairs with her luggage.

"Father, I can get it!" Lyney called, dropping his bags before he rushed to the staircase.

"No, I can take it." Father disappeared upstairs.

Lyney stepped off the stairs with a quiet sigh. Alright, if Father could take her luggage up by herself, he might as well let her.

On his way upstairs, Sylvestre passed by Lyney, muttering something that sounded like "suck-up."

Lyney whipped his head around in shock, but Sylvestre gave him a weird look, as if he hadn't just said what he said.

"What?"

Lyney knew he hadn't misheard. But, right now, he didn't have the energy to deal with Sylvestre.

"It's nothing," Lyney waved a hand. "Go on."

Sylvestre headed up the stairs, and Lyney stared after him for a moment, still surprised, and even a bit hurt by Sylvestre's words.

He wouldn't call Lyney a suck-up if he knew what Lyney knew.

Furina stepped closer to Lyney. "Hey… About George," she started, avoiding eye contact.

Lyney glanced behind her, where George was happily eating his food. "Yeah?"

"He… He got out a few days ago." Furina's voice was tense, as if she expected Lyney to be mad. "We got him back! Obviously," she motioned at George, "but I… I figured you should know."

"Oh, yeah, he does that," Lyney laughed. "Every once in a while, he decides he has to get out. We can usually catch him before he leaves, but sometimes we have to chase him around Fontaine."

Furina sighed in relief. "Oh, I thought you'd be upset."

"Of course not," Lynette reassured. "I forgot to mention his tendencies on the list."

"Well, you have a lot of cats," Navia pointed out. "Sometimes it's hard to remember everything about all of them."

"Still," Lynette sighed. "That was something important."

"So you'll remember it next time!" Navia picked up her bag from the counter. "Do you all need help unpacking?"

Lyney shook his head. "Nope. We're all good. You can head out," Lyney motioned to the door.

Navia nodded cheerfully. "Alright, then!"

Furina picked up her bag and placed the spare key in Lyney's hand. "Here's your key."

"Ah, thanks," Lyney tucked it in his pocket.

"Thanks for letting us take care of the cats," Furina said as she headed to the front door to put her shoes on.

"Thank you for taking care of them." Lyney followed the two women to the front door. "We all appreciate it."

Navia pulled her boots on. "Of course! Now, you get some rest, alright? I'm sure you're all tired."

Lyney nodded. "Yes. Very tired."

Navia pulled her coat on. "Well, we'll be out of your hair, then."

"Bye, Lyney!" Furina {}

Lyney purred softly. "Goodbye!"

"Oh, will you and Lynette be free on the thirteenth?" Furina asked. "That's my birthday, so I'm inviting everyone to my house for a tea party…"

"Uhh…" Lyney's brain failed.

"It's a Sunday," Navia supplied.

"Right. Right. Uhh… No promises," Lyney put his hands up. "But we should be able to make it."

Furina beamed. "Great! So… Maybe see you on Sunday?"

Lyney smiled. "Most likely. Bye!"

"Byeee!" Navia opened the door and stepped out.

Furina followed, giving Lyney a quick wave before she closed the door behind her.

Lyney waved at them through the window, before quickly closing the curtains.

"Alright, now that our guests have left…" Lyney turned to the living room, where the rest of his family had been just moments ago. Nothing remained except Lyney's bags, and a cat sleeping on the couch.

"Meow?"

Lyney looked down. George had wound his long orange body around Lyney's legs.

"I was going to ask everyone what they wanted for dinner." Lyney leaned down to pet the kitten, who appeared to have grown a bit since everyone had left. "But it seems everyone is already upstairs."

George purred against his calf.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go upstairs, too." Lyney walked into the living room to retrieve his heavy luggage. "Come on, Georgie, wanna come upstairs with me?"

George meowed.

"Yeah, I thought so." Lyney motioned to the stairs with his head. "Come on."

George followed him upstairs and to his bedroom, tail held high.

Lyney placed his luggage down and began to change into clean pajamas, eyes fixed on his bed the whole time. Once he was in warm pajamas, he flopped onto his warm, comfortable blankets, and sighed loudly into the pillows.

"Mrrow?"

Lyney looked up. Rosseland had meowed at him from the laundry hamper, where she was lying on a dirty shirt.

"Hi, Rosseland!" Lyney petted George when he hopped onto the bed. "Come here, sweet girl." He patted the blankets beside him.

Rosseland jumped out of the hamper, and mrrowed happily when she jumped onto the bed beside Lyney.

"Hiii," Lyney stroked her head. "I missed you."

Rosseland purred at the head scratches, then leaned down to sniff Lyney's face. She wrinkled her nose at the scent, all happiness apparently gone, then backed up a few steps.

"Aww, come on, I don't smell that bad," Lyney protested.

Rosseland sneezed.

Lyney flinched away. "Ew! Rosseland!"

She shook herself off, then leaned forward to sniff him again. This time, she did not sneeze on him or act like she'd just smelled something rotten, she began licking his face.

"I don't need a bath," Lyney patted Rosseland's flank. "Fine, fine. Go ahead."

Rosseland settled beside Lyney's head, continuing to lick his face and his neck. George curled up by his feet, and Lyney half expected him to start biting his toes again.

"Don't bite," Lyney warned in advance. "If you bite, I'm kicking you out."

George rubbed his cheek against Lyney's ankle, purring softly.

"Good boy," Lyney murmured.

Rosseland finished licking Lyney's face, and began licking her side. George began to do the same.

"Oh, bathtime, huh?" Lyney gently stroked Rosseland's cheek. "Don't mind me, then."

Rosseland started licking his fingers.

Lyney purred at her.

In the room beneath his, two of his siblings began yelling at each other about… Well, Lyney couldn't quite make out the words. He could understand the words of Heloir when she entered to yell at them to "shut the fuck up."

Perhaps he'd have a word with her about that. Later, of course. For now, he was content to remain in bed with his cats; a nap sounded good right now… After he napped, he could get up and make dinner. In a few days, their usual duties would resume, and everyone would go back to their normal schedules.

Finally, Lyney was home.

"I can't be a Harbinger!" Lyney cried. "Father, please, listen!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears, as Father wrapped a heavy Harbinger's coat around him. Lyney fell forward, barely catching himself on the hard, cold ground.

"Father, please!" Lyney reached a hand up, silently begging her to help him up, but instead, she dropped her burning hot Delusion in his outstretched hand.

Lyney took his eyes off of Father to look at the foreign object in his palm, confirming that it was, in fact, her Delusion, but when he looked up again, it appeared Father had vanished.

"Father?!" Lyney let go of the Delusion, but it wouldn't unstick from his hand. Lyney tried to shake the Delusion off his palm. It refused to budge, as if it had been fused to his skin.

"Father, wait, don't leave me here!"

Lyney awoke with a start, surprising Rosseland and causing her to jump into the air.

She landed hard on his chest—"Oof, Rosseland!"—before jumping off and hiding underneath the bed.

Lyney groaned, and stood up. His legs shook, and his right hand still felt like static. The logical explanation, Lyney concluded, was that he had been laying on it. Dreams couldn't affect real life, no matter how vivid they were.

Lyney's stomach growled—what time was it?

He turned the lamp on. His bedside clock read 12:58am, clearly, nobody had cared to wake him for dinner.

If anyone even made dinner. The most likely scenario was that everyone had eaten canned soup, chips, and cereal. None of those could be a proper meal on their own, but cereal sounded good to Lyney, so he stood from his bed and carried himself down the hall on shaky legs.

Lyney hadn't had recurring nightmares since he was fourteen. Why now of all times was he getting the same dream? Delusions couldn't melt flesh or weld themselves to one's hand. Nor would Father be the one giving it to him, the Tsaritsa would.

It most likely wouldn't be Father's Delusion… But he didn't know if Harbingers could inherit Delusions or not.

His stomach growled again, and Lyney hurried downstairs. Eating something would be a great distraction, though hopefully his stomach didn't have any adverse reactions.

The kitchen light was already on, and when Lyney stepped in, he met Sylvestre's gaze. He was holding his own bowl of cereal, clearly about to take it to his room.

"Excuse me," Lyney stepped past Sylvestre to get into the kitchen.

Sylvestre had enough room to stay out of Lyney's way, but for whatever reason, his elbow jammed into Lyney's side.

"Oops, sorry," Sylvestre's sarcastic tone suggested he wasn't sorry in any way, shape or form.

"Ow! What is your problem?!" Lyney hissed.

Sylvestre rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Wha— no! That's why I'm asking!"

Sylvestre didn't give Lyney another answer; instead, he hurried out of the kitchen with his cereal, leaving Lyney to wonder what the hell he'd ever done wrong.

"Goddamnit," Lyney hissed.

His stomach growled again, and for a moment, Lyney considered not indulging.

That was stupid. He hadn't eaten for hours, why delay it longer?

Lyney poured himself a large bowl of cereal, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. After he ate, he'd go back to bed, then get up at a reasonable time and work on chores and practice for the next show.

Life was supposed to be normal again.

Except that Father had about five months left to live. And Sylvestre hated him for no reason.

It'd be fine, Lyney tried to convince himself. It would all be fine.

"Good morning, Father!" Lyney called as he woke Father up.

"Mm… Morning?" Father yawned.

"I just sent everyone off to do chores," Lyney informed.

Father nodded into her pillows. "Mm… Yes, thank you for… letting me know." She slid out of bed, moved to her wardrobe to get dressed. "I suppose I should head to my office and work on… stuff, then."

"Stuff", huh? Well, if Father couldn't remember, or didn't want to tell him… Either way, it didn't matter.

Lyney nodded. "Alright. I'll go work on my own chores."

"I don't believe there's much to do," Father laid her clothes out on the bed. "But I'd like everyone to work on the laundry, since there's so much of it to do."

Lyney nodded. "Got it. I'll make sure that gets done."

"One more thing."

"Yes, Father?"

"I'd like you to join me in my office at about lunchtime. There's some mission assignments I'd like to discuss with you."

Lyney nodded. "Of course. I'll be there." He turned to leave.

Father coughed loudly.

Lyney turned back around. Father had coughed up more blood, this time, it was all over her pajama shirt.

"Father?!"

She coughed again, covered her face with her arm, and began coughing more blood into the white fabric.

Lyney waited tensely for her to finish.

When Father was done coughing, she stood up straight again, and looked down at her shirt.

"Close your eyes."

Lyney closed them.

Father placed her shirt in his hand, then grasped his shoulders to turn him around.

"Please make sure that gets cleaned."

Lyney opened his eyes. "Of course." He quickly left the room, giving Father her privacy.

He hurried downstairs with the shirt, locked himself in the bathroom, and began to scrub the blood out underneath the tap.

Unfortunately, not all the blood came out, but hopefully the stains wouldn't be noticeable after they went through the wash. Lyney took the wet shirt to the laundry room, tossed it into the empty washer.

"Ah, hello, Olivier," Lyney greeted the boy as he entered with a basket of laundry.

Olivier put the basket down in front of the washer.

"Whites only," Lyney informed.

Olivier nodded, and tugged all the white clothes out of the basket. He tossed them in the washer.

"Does that look like enough?" he asked Lyney.

Lyney peered into the washer. "Ehh… let's go get some more."

The boys went upstairs and gathered up more laundry. Heloir was sweeping the floor, so Lyney went around her to grab the laundry from her room.

"How much have you done?" Lyney asked.

"Almost this whole hallway!" Heloir announced cheerfully. "Estella is doing the fourth floor."

"Good! Well, I'll leave you be, then."

Lyney went back downstairs with a full basket of laundry. When Olivier arrived with his basket, they put more white clothes into the wash, and started it.

"There's so much laundry to do," Olivier complained.

"Well, you're in luck, because we're all going to work on it today!" Lyney patted his head. "Since there's so much of it to do."

Olivier nodded.

"Come on, let's go make sure everyone else is doing their chores." Lyney motioned to the door. "Then, once that's done, we can start on schoolwork."

Olivier groaned.

Lyney smiled. "Hey, it's not that bad. I'll help you, okay?"

"Okayyy."

The chores were easy to finish. After all, they had been gone for two weeks and nobody had been making a mess of the house. The schoolwork was hard. Even though Lyney was already done with school, his younger siblings were not, and he had to spend five minutes explaining to a seven-year-old that, yes, "two times two" and "two plus two" both equaled four.

"But why?" she asked for the fifteenth time.

Lyney ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I just told you why!"

"She's just messing with you," Chapleau called from across the room. "She knows why."

"What?! Estella!"

She cackled.

"You're so mean!"

After everyone had finished their work, Lyney helped everyone put their paper away, while Lynette started discussing lunch with Chapleau.

"I could make grilled cheese for everyone," she suggested. "Or we could get sandwich materials out and everyone could make their own sandwich."

"A salad sounds good," Lyney chimed in. "Oh! Speaking of lunch," Lyney started heading towards the stairs, "Father wants to discuss mission assignments with me, so I'm going to go."

"Father wants to do mission assignments with you?" Sylvestre asked, standing from the couch.

Lyney stared at him for a moment. "Yeah… She does. I've been helping her a lot lately."

"She probably likes spending time with Lyney," Freminet said.

Sylvestre scoffed. "Of course. We all know who the favorite child is," he laughed.

Nobody else seemed to think it was funny. Especially not Lyney.

Lyney narrowed his eyes. "Father doesn't play favorites," he corrected his brother. "She loves all of us equally."

Sylvestre rolled his eyes. "Tch. Of course you'd say that."

"What— what do you mean?" Lyney asked, though he knew exactly what Sylvestre meant. How could he imply Father had a favorite child? Only bad parents played favorites.

Lyney was the heir to the title of Knave, yes, but favorite child? Lyney thought of all of the stuff she'd made him go through recently. If Father had a favorite, it clearly was not him.

"You know what I mean," Sylvestre huffed. He walked around the couch, now standing in front of Lyney. "You and Father, always going off on your own, refusing to bring anyone else."

"Sylvestre," Chapleau warned from across the room. "We've talked about this."

"Yeah, and even you said there was a chance!"

Lyney met Chapleau's worried eyes. Chapleau looked away.

"Why would I be the favorite?" Lyney asked.

Sylvestre shrugged. "Maybe because you're the most talented." He spoke the word "talented" with such venom that Lyney flinched.

"That doesn't sound like a compliment," Lyney crossed his arms.

"Of course not. Father's always talking about your stupid magic shows!"

Lyney huffed. "And do you do anything worth talking about?"

Sylvestre sputtered. "Well— I—"

Lyney rolled his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing. "Once you get a job and start providing for this family, then we can talk about how much Father talks about my accomplishments."

"I do plenty!" Sylvestre pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I do plenty of dangerous missions for the House! And— and Father said that when I complete enough missions, I can move up in the Fatui ranks, maybe even transfer to Nod Krai! Which would be a job, and, therefore, I would be providing for the family."

"That sounds like a good plan," Lyney didn't bother to fake a smile. "Why don't you work towards that?"

"Because I— I am working towards it, Father just doesn't think I have enough training to get promoted! And she never trains me!"

"Ask for more training." Lyney turned to leave.

"I would, if she weren't always busy with you!"

Lyney unfolded his arms. "That's a stupid reason. Just ask for more training, and she'll happily oblige."

"And you're sure? The last few training sessions haven't involved us!" he gestured to everyone else. "Only you, Freminet, and Lynette. And Freminet told me that the last time, she spent all of her time on you."

Freminet cringed and quickly shook his head. "That's not what I said…"

"Father pulled a muscle while she was with me and had to sit down. She gave plenty of verbal instructions to the other two."

"That's beside the point! Father clearly favors you!" Sylvestre hissed. "She's always prioritizing your training over the rest of ours!"

"I'm her successor!" Lyney retorted, pointing at himself for emphasis. "When Father dies, I take her place!"

Heloir stood from her chair and rushed upstairs.

"Well, she's not going to die any time soon"—Lyney couldn't tell Sylvestre how wrong he was—"so there's no reason to prioritize you so much if you're not the favorite. Right?"

Lyney couldn't answer. If he did, that would mean either breaking Father's trust or coming up with yet another lie. If he didn't, that would mean falsely admitting he was favored above his siblings.

Lyney clenched his jaw and kept his mouth shut.

"See? You know she likes you more than us!"

"That's not true," Lyney hissed.

Sylvestre continued. "Maybe you're the favorite because you have the same Vision as her! Is that it?!"

"Why would my Vision have anything to do with it?!"

"That's quite enough," Chapleau stood up. "Sylvestre, this is ridi—"

"Shut up!" Sylvestre yelled. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed anything!"

Chapleau closed his mouth.

Sylvestre turned back to Lyney. "Admit it, you're the favorite child!"

"I'm not admitting anything that isn't true!"

"Enough, both of you!" Lynette interrupted, stepping between them. "We're not going to get anywhere by—"

"Would you shut up?!" Sylvestre spat at Lynette, shoving her out of the way. "Stay out of this!"

Lynette's tail bristled. "But—"

Sylvestre continued. "Just shut up, you— you bitch!"

Lyney froze.

"Sir? Do you— do you have any mora?" Lynette, just a small child, asked the man passing by. "We're hungry…"

"Fuck off, you bitch," the nasty old man spat, clutching his left pocket as he hurried off.

Lyney hissed at the man as he pulled his twin sister into a tight hug. He didn't know what "bitch" meant, but it sounded like a bad word, and it was clearly meant to hurt.

Did Sylvestre really just call Lynette that?

He did. And he didn't even look remorseful.

Lynette had curled her tail around herself, looking down at the ground. Her hands were shaking as she crossed her arms, hands balled into tight fists. Was she about to cry?

Oh, Lyney was going to make Sylvestre regret saying that. Anyone could insult Lyney, but they had hell to pay if they brought his sister into it. Back then, the first time someone had ever used that word against Lynette, Lyney was too young and small to do anything about it. But now…

Lyney's fist soared through the air, and he punched Sylvestre straight in his nose.

Crack!

"LYNEY!" his twin yelled. She jumped back in surprise, and Lyney jumped on top of Sylvestre, tackling the taller man to the floor. The impact knocked the wind out of Sylvestre, who was given no time to recover.

Sylvestre tried desperately to push Lyney off of him, nails scratching at Lyney's chest through his shirt, but Lyney did not let up. He kept Sylvestre pinned with one hand to his chest. Fueled by rage, he continued to punch and hit and claw, attacking Sylvestre's face. Each punch broke something else, his nose, his glasses, possibly a tooth.

Sylvestre was screaming in pain, now trying to shield his face with his arms. Lyney grabbed his hair instead.

While he was tugging at Sylvestre's hair, someone else tugged at the back of Lyney's shirt.

"Lyney, that's enough!" Freminet grabbed him under the shoulders and attempted to pull him off of Sylvestre. "Get off of him!"

Lyney held on tight, digging his nails into Sylvestre's scalp. "Not until he apologizes to my sister."

"I'm sorry!" the brunet yelled. "I'm sorry, okay?! Get off!"

Lyney let go of Sylvestre's head. Freminet dragged Lyney away, and Lynette rushed over to grab his arm, for fear he'd attack Sylvestre again.

"Lyney?" she whispered, a note of alarm in her voice.

His chest heaved from exertion. A thin layer of blood coated his knuckles. His feline pupils were narrowed to tiny slits, almost imperceptible.

Sylvestre coughed, wiped thick crimson off his face with his palm as he stood up. The frame of his glasses was broken, so they fell from his nose as he rose. He bent down to pick them up, and drops of blood fell onto the floor from his broken nose.

Lynette squeezed Lyney's arm. "Oh god. What have you done?"

Lyney narrowed his eyes at Sylvestre. "Nothing I wouldn't do again."

Sylvestre shot a nasty glare at Lyney. Lyney lunged for him again. Freminet and Lynette tightened their grip on his arms to hold him back again.

"LYNEY, NO!" Freminet screamed as he pulled him back.

It was then that Father came down the stairs, followed by a very worried Heloir, and everyone froze.

Lyney's fist was raised, Lynette and Freminet were restraining him, and Sylvestre's face was bloody. It did not take a genius to figure out what was happening.

Father met Lyney's gaze, then Sylvestre's. She narrowed her eyes, a familiar emotion present in the crease of her brow.

Father was angry.

"Both of you, my office. Now."