Manufacturing Fate

"T-They were here... B-But they're not here anymore," Kili said with a worried stutter and a stunned expression on her face.

"So how did you guys get separated?" Markus asked while massaging the little girl's shoulder assuagingly.

"W-We had a battle-"

"You fought?!" Jean interjected while rushing forward to inspect Kili.

"It was just a mock battle," Kili tried to quickly double back to correct herself.

"Let the girl finish!" Marie bellowed. Her distress and anxiety were palpable as her voice strained, laced with a desperate urgency. She knelt in front of Kili, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and frustration, while her hands trembled as they gripped onto Kili's shoulders.

"Please," Marie half-begged and half-demanded. "Start from the beginning and don't leave a single detail out."