Scule’s parents seemed to have turned a new leaf in response to the majority of their welcome gifts, other than Alka’s daggers, and Vin managed to delude himself into thinking that the two older petians would continue to warm to their presence and reveal that they weren’t quite as bad as Scule made them out to be.

  That hope lasted about as long as the desserts did.

  For a while, things were alright. Vin listened to Lumel as she told story after story of life within her father’s underwater palace to Nute while the girl sat on her shoulder and ate cake, kicking her legs happily as she did so. Copi chowed down on some cookies as he and Alka got to talking about some of the crazier monsters she’d seen in her time, and the boy was completely enthralled by Alka’s storytelling and ability to mimic monster cries using her strange voice. Shia actually managed to rope Scule’s standoffish father into a discussion about the fungal farms, impressing him with her knowledge of fungi and eagerness to learn more. And Scule and his mother quietly talked off to the side as they nibbled at their mousse, their conversation hushed and clearly private.

  It was a massive improvement over how things had started, but it couldn’t last forever. While Lumel was busy explaining to the two of them how she’d used her dimensional magic to discover a handful of secret passages and rooms throughout the palace that had been lost to time, Scule’s voice rang out loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.

  “Are you still going on about that?” he snapped, glaring at his mother as she turned her head up and planted her hands on her hips. “He’s nearly a man, he can make his own decisions!”

  “And I just don’t want them to be the wrong ones,” she snapped right back, narrowing her eyes at him. “You know how much he looks up to you. It would be for the best.”

  “The best for who? For him? Or for you?” Scule asked, eliciting a gasp from his mother as she took a step back at the accusation.

  “That’s enough!” his father shouted, turning and marching over toward them. Thrusting a finger in Scule’s face, he continued. “You really want your brother following in your footsteps? As a Rogue of all things? Going out and acting like a criminal? Becoming a Farmer and working the fungal fields is the best option for him!”

  “I never once said I wanted Copi to become a Rogue!” Scule argued, shoving the finger out of his face and throwing his hands up. “All I said is that I want him to follow his own desires and be happy! Why is it that just because the two of you had your happiness taken away when the monsters attacked our village, none of us are allowed to be happy either, huh? That doesn’t seem fair to me!”

  Scule’s father recoiled as though he’d been punched, and without thinking he raised his one hand in retaliation. Yet before he could decide if he truly wanted to follow through with that threat or not, Reginald’s tail whipped around his wrist, locking his hand in place as Reginald squeaked a soft warning.

  “You’re lucky the rat is here,” his father warned, fuming as he stared down Scule. “Otherwise-”

  “I’m a Gods’ damned twice-prestiged Rogue,” Scule said, laughing just a little too hard at the shocked and slightly worried expression on his father’s face. “Do you really think I’m threatened by a Farmer who barely even managed to get his second Capstone back before Edregon, and is probably still in the single digits after the Great Reset? You can’t even lift a finger against my animal companion, let alone me. I would eviscerate you if things ever went that far, and you know it! It’s why you’ve been smart enough not to push things that far before now, but I suppose now that Copi’s day of choosing is nearly here, you finally decided something had to change.”

  “That’s enough,” Scule’s mother huffed, turning to smile at Reginald. “Reginald dear, I’ll give you a big piece of cheese I’ve been saving special for you if you let go of my husband’s wrist. Cheese, boy, a big piece of cheese!”

  Staring at the woman in disbelief, Reginald turned to look at Scule, who nodded. Letting out a squeak-sigh, Reginald released the man’s wrist, but ignored Scule’s mother and her promises of cheese, instead walking over to stand beside Scule.

  “I’ve put up with a lot over the years because I didn’t want to see Copi and Nute suffer due to my decision to leave, but asking me to stay away from them is where I draw the line,” Scule said, staring down his father. “They’re my siblings, you have no right!”

  “I wasn’t asking, I was telling you to stay away,” his father growled, glancing at the red marks wrapped around his wrist. “And they may be your siblings, but they're our children, just like you are. We have every right!”

  There was so much back and forth that Vin wasn’t entirely certain what was going on, and he couldn’t find the right time to butt in and ask.

  Thankfully, one of them didn’t have that sort of problem.

  “So what’s the problem?” Alka asked, startling Scule and his parents out of their argument as she leaned over them, her glowing green eyes boring down on the three of them from her darker-than-black helmet. “Something about your brother not following in your footsteps?”

  “My parents seem worried that Copi is going to try and become a Rogue just because I’m one,” Scule said, crossing his arms as he frowned at them. “Despite the fact that he’s never once said he was intending to do so. I swing by once a month to drop off supplies and check in on Copi and Nute, but my parents have been trying to convince me for the past few months to keep my distance, and their attempts are getting more desperate the closer Copi’s choosing day gets. They want me to keep helping them out, but to just drop stuff off in the dead of night and not interact with my siblings. They must be kinda dense not to have realized by now that it’s because of my siblings I bother to help out at all.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “If you truly cared about them, you’d stop showing off to your brother and making him think being a Rogue is the coolest thing in the world,” his father snapped. “You might not be convincing him with words, but every time you show up it’s all ‘backflips and sleight of hand.’ You’re poisoning his mind!”

  “He does do a lot of work with poisons,” Alka nodded, causing Scule’s dad to falter mid-rant and glance up at her like she was crazy. “I feel like there’s a rather easy solution to this problem that all of you are completely ignoring.”

  During this entire argument, Copi and Nute had both gone silent, slightly withdrawn into themselves as they watched nervously from the sidelines. As Alka turned and stared at the young petian, Copi jumped and began sweating.

  “Well?” Alka asked, her eyes locked directly on the petian. “What’s the plan? Are you going to become a Rogue? A Farmer? Some other class? Come on then, out with it.”

  Both Scule and his father tried and failed to shout over Alka as she asked the question, as though neither one of them actually wanted Copi to answer just yet. Even so, they both turned and stared at him as soon as Alka had finished speaking, as if waiting with bated breath for the answer.

  For his part, Copi simply stood there, staring wide-eyed into Alka’s glowing gaze as if frozen. After a few seconds, he gulped, and softly spoke up.

  “I’m not entirely certain just yet,” he admitted quietly, his eyes darting to his father and Scule before going to his own feet. “I’m still thinking about it.”

  “Seriously? It sounds like you don’t have long,” Alka said, shaking her head. “Surely you have to have an idea or-”

  “Alka,” Shia said, holding her staff out between the Slayer and the timid petian as she frowned. “Let’s leave it there. He’s just a kid. You shouldn’t put him on the spot like that.”

  “I knew what class I was going to choose when I was half his age,” Alka grumbled, before nodding and letting it drop.

  “Regardless of Copi’s class, it’s not fair of you to ask Scule not to see his siblings,” Lumel said, shocking the rest of them as the pulmon spoke up. “Family is a special thing. Forcing someone to stay away from their family…” she paused, her voice wavering as she struggled to get the words out. Vin reached out and took her hand, and she gave him a small smile. “…it’s just not right. I know you’re part of his family too, but that doesn’t mean you get to speak for Copi and Nute. They’re their own people.”

  “I like it when Scule visits us,” Nute said quietly, hiding partially behind part of Lumel’s hood as she chimed in. “His stories are fun, and he brings the best gifts.”

  “I don’t want him to stop coming either,” Copi said, finding his nerve somehow, as if realizing he couldn’t be overshadowed by his younger sister. “Tiny Town is so boring without him. His visits are what we look forward to all month.”

  Scule looked genuinely touched by his siblings’ remarks, but if his father had been angry before, he was positively fuming now. Before he could go back to shouting at Scule, however, Scule’s mother broke in.

  “Dear, I think it might be best to take a step back and breathe,” she said, laying a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder. “I worry you’re about to say something you won’t be able to take back.”

  To Vin’s surprise, the furious petian actually did just that, unclenching his hand and taking a few deep breaths one after another. Nearly ten seconds passed in utter silence as everyone waited to see what the next words out of his mouth would be, and finally, he grunted.

  “Do what you want,” was all he said before turning and storming back into the house. Scule’s mother sighed, and she gave them all a weary smile.

  “I’m sorry for his temper… As much as I agree with what he thinks, I disagree with his methods. I don’t think yelling gets a point across any more than whispering does.”

  “But you still think Scule should stay away from his own siblings?” Alka said pointedly.

  “Just until after Copi’s choosing day,” she nodded, giving Scule an apologetic smile. “You know we love you regardless of the class you chose… and you’ve done so much to help us over the years… but we just don’t want to see Copi go down the same path. Is that too much to ask?”

  “In that case, you should talk to him about his decision rather than trying to convince me to stay away,” Scule said, looking like he wanted to continue the argument for a moment before shaking his head. “Look, it’s late, and we’re all tired. This one might have gotten more heated than the others, but we’ve done this song and dance enough times now. Copi and Nute both told you how they feel, and I’ve told you numerous times I’m not trying to sway them one way or the other. Can we just stop doing this and agree to be civil for the brief period of time I’m home?”

  Scule’s mother tossed a look over at his younger siblings. Seeing the hope on their faces, she let out one final sigh and nodded. “Alright. I’ll try and work on your father.” Looking up at all of them, she smiled. “Thank you again for your welcome gifts. They were truly thoughtful and deeply enjoyed.” With that, she turned and followed Scule’s father back into the house, presumably to try and calm him down a hair.

  “Scule…” Vin said, leaning down and lowering his voice. “Your father… is he...?”

  “What, abusive? Hardly,” Scule snorted. “Well, he has a temper and a tendency to yell, but that only started when I picked up the Rogue class and is fully directed at me. That was the first time he ever even thought about something as stupid as hitting me, and honestly, even if Reginald hadn’t intervened, I don’t think he would have gone through with it. They’d be in serious trouble if I stopped helping them out and they know it.”

  “Dad only gets like that the days Scule comes home,” Copi admitted, scuffing a foot in the dirt. “It’s weird. He always acts all quiet and sad after you leave, but he gets so angry when you’re here. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It’s not something you need to worry about,” Scule said, walking over and ruffling Copi’s hair as the boy complained. “And neither are his attempts to encourage you to become a Farmer. Just pick the class that calls to you, alright? That’s all that matters.”

  “Are your friends staying the night?” Nute called down from Lumel’s shoulders, looking excited. “We could have a sleepover!”

  “There might be some logistical issues with that,” Scule chuckled. “How about I help them find a room in a nearby tavern and they come back in the morning?”

  Nodding, Copi and Nute said their goodbyes before heading into the house to prepare for bed. Letting out a sigh of his own, Scule gave Reginald a loving pat before turning toward them.

  “Alright. Seeing as you four are totally broke when it comes to citadel money, I guess you guys are relying on me for lodging. To the slums!”

  Discord