Chapter 328

Chapter 328

Waking to the fragrant smell of roasted meat, Song gingerly extracted herself from the pile of slumbering animals and Lins tangled embrace. Frowning in her sleep, Lin grumbled and rolled over to claim another victim, clinging tightly to the comatose Mila with a contented murmur. Gazing upon their peaceful and contented expressions, Song imagined herself looking the same, lying there beside them with the same serene smile and slack expression, her hair in disarray and limbs akimbo. Even in her mind it looked bizarre and unusual, her familiar features twisted in a foreign look of serenity and comfort, but she held the image anyways, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Perhaps someday.

Reluctant to wake them, Song left Mila and Lin to slumber while she let the animals out, the three wildcats and two bears already waiting by the door. Bounding away with a leap, Jimjam bolted towards the aromatic cooking fire like a streak of lightning, only to come to a skidding halt as Rain interposed himself between the wildcat and his prey. No, Rain said, freezing Jimjam with a ferocious scowl. Bad Jimjam. No stealing.

Likely spooked by Rains insidious Aura, Jimjam pressed his belly to the dirt and let out a pitiable mewl, half in challenge and half in surrender. Still scowling, Rain gave the frightened wildcat a cursory pat before shooing him away, turning back to his cooking without an apology or greeting for Song and the other animals. How strange. Usually, Rain had nothing but smiles and hugs for his precious fur-babies, not to mention how he always looked the other way when Jimjam was on the prowl, but today, he all but ignored them except to keep them away from the food. Why? Besides, it wasnt right to treat Jimjam like that, stealing food was a bad habit Rain encouraged through neglect, so how could he terrorize the poor sweetling for it?

Hugging the unnerved wildcat to her chest, Song brushed her hair out of the way to glare at Rains back, struggling to compose a scathing condemnation. Unfortunately, eloquence was not her strong suit and all she could come up with was, You shouldnt scare Jimjam.

Rain answered without looking back, fending Sarankhos claws away from the roast with a wooden ladle. Jimjam will be fine, he could use a little discipline. They all could. Ive been too lenient. Its cute now, but what happens when Jimjam grows to the size of a pony? Or Banjo and Baloo become full-sized? Annoyed by Rains lack of attention, Aurie flopped to his side to chew on Rains boot, but this too failed to elicit a smile from the taciturn man. Banjos efforts to climb onto his back were thwarted with a hip bump and Baloos adorable chortling did nothing to sway him, nor did Sarankhos grasping paws batting at the air as she laid on her back, exposing her belly for a scratch that would never come.

Something wasnt right. Any of those behaviours were usually enough to set Rain to cooing, but today, he hardly spared the animals a glance. No smiles either, though his frown slowly dissipated as the animals played out their best tricks, his expression reverting to a surly but neutral demeanour. Nor did he bother to ogle Song, focused only on his cooking and nothing else. All this after hiding in his yurt and out in the bay for three consecutive days and largely ignoring his pets, Mila, and Lin.

Not that Song minded his absence, but Mila and Lin grew grouchier by the day, constantly grumbling about his lack of affection and discussing solutions to win him back. First they tried giving him space and waiting him out, then they tried assaulting him with affection, and when that didnt work, they took all his pets away in a fit of pique, but still nothing changed. It was almost like they were dealing with a new Rain, a grouchy, dour, sullen Rain who cared about nothing besides his Awakening.

Glancing around, she spotted an unfamiliar Spiritual Weapon laying at Rains side, an ominous, jet-black glaive. Milas work no doubt and soon to be Rains third weapon. Drawing closer for a better look, she reached out to grab it but stopped well short of it, scolding herself for overstepping her bounds. No warrior would feel safe letting another touch an unbound Spiritual Weapon and who knew how this temperamental new Rain would react?

Beautiful right? he asked, barely looking away from the pot as he slid it towards her. Give it a couple swings, but be careful. Its heavy and already bound.

Already bound? Just last night, Mila was complaining about Rains lack of interest and appreciation for her hard work, which meant he bound the weapon in a single night. How did you bind it so quickly?

The question slipped out but Rain answered without pause. Having a Natal Palace helps. I imagined the weapon in there with me and bam, weapon bound. Still took the better part of four hours, but its an improvement. The sword took more than a week and the shield almost half a day and the entire night. I was worried I wouldnt finish in time for the Conference, but I had plenty of time to spare, so I decided to cook everyone breakfast.

More than a week, as if that were an unacceptable amount of time. How would he react if he knew Song had taken months to bind her saber? His advice wasnt even useful since she lacked a Natal Palace. Mother above, how can You favour one man so? Dispirited by Rains overabundance of talent, Song gave the glaive a perfunctory examination before handing it back. Sisters work is sublime.

Sure is. Glancing at her for the first time as he took the weapon, Rains eyes lingered on Songs face and he raised an eyebrow. Your hair isnt braided. The aimless statement threw Song for a loop and she raised her eyebrow back, waiting to see where he was going with this line of conversation. Shrugging, he added, Ive never seen you with your hair down. Its new. Still unsure, Song slowly drew back, worried he had ulterior motives, but Rain merely rolled his eyes and went back to cooking. Relax, Im just making small talk. Sorry, Im terrible at it. Whatever, lets forget about it and move on. Breakfast is almost ready, so could you please wake Mila and Lin?

Refusing mostly because she wanted to, Song shook her head. Let them sleep in. Im going to see Mama. It had become her new morning ritual now, Mama braiding Songs hair into a neat little bun while Papa snored softly beside them. Where she used to love mornings for the solitude they provided, Song now loved mornings because it was a time for family and companionship.

I sent someone to fetch them. Made enough food for everyone. Gesturing at the roast and simmering pot of congee, he gave a wry smile and added, Figured we might as well enjoy a hot meal while we can. If I screw things up with the Legate later, itll be awhile before anyone has time to cook again.

How true. Snickering beneath her breath, Song turned to do as he said before changing her mind. Although Mila and Lin were unhappy with Rain, Song felt like they were overreacting to his recent change in behaviour. In truth, she preferred this new attitude and found it a major improvement, more in line with how a proper young hero should behave, dignified and disciplined instead of the odd, foolish little man who liked to roll around in the grass with his rabbits. While tempted to stand by and let his cold attitude push Mila, Lin, and his pets away, it wouldnt be right to punish Rains self improvement like that.

Turning back, she stated, I am going to meet Mama and Papa. You go wake Sister and Lin. Summoning the pets to her side with a clap of her hands, she herded them off towards Mama and Papas yurt, hoping to make it there before they left. This was the perfect solution, Rain could make amends for his rude behaviour, Mila and Lin would both be happier for his attention, and Song wouldnt have to suffer through Milas angry scowls or Lins piteous groans.

Never let it be said Song wasnt kind to her future brother-in-law.

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Yea. Stroking her cheek, he gave her a tired half-smile. Now come eat breakfast? You can go back to sleep afterwards.

Shaking her head, Mila grinned and said, A few more minutes. Pressed between Rain and Lin, Mila wanted to stretch this out for as long as possible, bundled between her beloved betrothed and future sister-wife. Tell me about your binding ceremony. Did you stab yourself again?

Ha, no. It was me using the weapon to fight imaginary foes... fairly standard stuff. Then why did he sound so distraught? Before she could ask, he kissed her temple and continued. Gave me a lot to think about though, about life in general. I named it Unity, but Im not entirely sold on the decision. After a short pause, he changed the subject. You made yourself a weapon too right? Where is it?

Hmph. And here I thought you forgot all about me. Elbowing him gently in the ribs, she turned away to hide her smile. Its a secret. If you want to find out more, then challenge me to a spar and be strong enough to make me use it. Her new weapon, Paragon, was far more impressive than Rains, especially since she didnt have to build it around a spring-powered rifle. A proper bow was far easier to use and had a faster rate of fire too, though she had to admit, the guns were much easier to learn.

Oh, I wouldnt dare. Nuzzling against her shoulder, Rain finally wrapped his arm around her in a proper embrace, though he ruined it by yawning. My beloved betrothed is far too powerful to subdue. Woe is me, destined to be a battered husband for all my years, a most... unfortunate... fate. Sagging in place, Rain finally fell asleep and Mila almost couldnt believe it. Oh no, did he stay up to bind his new weapon because of how theyd left things last night? Her poor, sweet Rain, he barely got enough sleep as it was and now he had to face the Legate like this?

No matter. Let him sleep now and they could all wake at a more appropriate hour. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.

Only to be rudely awakened by Tursinai. This was all very heartwarming, but the Lieutenant General should be arriving soon.

Cringing in shame, Mila buried her face in Lins hair and elbowed Rain in the ribs again, blaming him for inviting Tursinai in the first place. Go away now. Wake me at a more reasonable hour.

Mhm, Rain replied, sitting up with a groan. Come have breakfast with everyone. Please? With the Conference starting up, who knows when well have time to sit down together?

But why so early? The conference isnt scheduled to begin until mid-morning, and even then we might not be the first ones called... Flashing him a sullen glare, Mila silently cursed all morning people everywhere. Who gets up at sunrise? Those were the best hours to sleep through...

Unlike you, some of us have things to do and preparations to make. Taking her hand, he shrugged and Sent, Much as Id like to sleep in with you and Lin, I need to go back out into the bay and find Blobby before the conference starts.

What? Remembering herself, Mila stilled her tongue and Sent, You lost it? Mother above, only Rain could misplace a Tear of the Mother. Twice now, at that.

Yea, but in my defence, I have no control over what Blobby does. Despite the gravity of the situation, Rain didnt seem all too concerned, sitting on his ass while rubbing his eyes with a silly smile. Dont worry, I have a decent guess about what happened. At first, I thought Ping Ping ate Blobby, but if thats what she was after, Im pretty sure she wouldve just eaten me whole the first day we met. Then it hit me: Blobby is a complete glutton. Remember Yo Lings island? I told you about Blobby leaving to soak... something up, and how I didnt think it was Heavenly Energy. Blobby itself is a font of Heavenly Energy, so why would it eat Heavenly Energy? Anyways, then theres the Spiritual Plant Mama Bun sniffed out that we havent been able to find.Im pretty sure Mama Bun cant smell things that are underwater, so we should be looking for a rootless plant floating on the bays surface.

Resisting the urge to smack him upside the head for changing the subject, Mila sat up and glared at her betrothed. What does that have to do with the missing Tear of the Mother? Stupid, insufferable man, it probably left because of Rains disrespectful attitude, calling a droplet of Heavenly Water Blobby and gluttonous.

Well, Spiritual Plants gather Heavenly Energy right? If its like a normal plant, it absorbs Heavenly Energy, uses it, then probably releases a byproduct, which may or may not be similar to whatever it is Blobby loves so much. During my Awakening, a whole bunch of Heavenly Energy was flying about, so the Spiritual Plant was probably drawn over and Blobby sensed it. I figure Blobby stepped out to grab a bite or whatever, and is still there feeding away. We find the plant, we probably find Blobby, easy as pie.

Sometimes, Mila felt like she was betrothed to an idiot. Easy as pie? Youve been looking for days without success already... and how can a plant be drawn over? Plants dont swim.

Rain shrugged. Ive seen weirder things than mobile plants and if Im wrong, then Ill just keep looking. Im sure Blobby will turn up eventually. It came back once before, so it must like me, and I even have some bait that might draw its attention. See, last night, Jorani....

Its like he didnt understand how special a drop of Heavenly Water could be. What if someone else found it first? Or if it never came back? Her sweet, silly, infuriating betrothed, choosing the worst times to be optimistic. Sighing, Mila patted Rain on the cheek and hoped everything would work out as he said.

If not, then the Bekhai lost their chance to nurture a new Ancestral Beast, or perhaps even the first ever Ancestral Human...

Chapter Meme