Sickened Mother

Timothy and everyone else entered the restaurant, their ears detecting a piece of calm music, "Oooh, jazzy music! Perfect for a romantic reunion! Say, big brother, would you buy your younger sisters a cute dress?" Cassidy teased Timothy and made him bored.

"I am *not* buying you two a dress. I have less than $500 bolts to my name!" He explained, crossing his arms, "Aw, look at you, silly! That's enough for a dress. C'mon, do it." Cassidy called, rubbing her shoulder against his arm.

He clutched his head, shaking it from disappointment, "And since you're low on money, why not use your bounty, ehehe! Those $500 million bolts would be helpful." Timothy looked at her, crossing his arms, "If you wanna watch me sleep in prison, sure. But I don't think I'm in the mood to deal with horrible treatment."

Chiaki and Aurora walked behind them, "There they are, Kheer and Alpha." Chiaki called, pointing at the restaurant's corner. Alpha and Kheer sat behind the table, checking the menu. "I suppose they knew we were coming and waited with their orders." Aurora believed, approaching them.

"Ah, Aurora, Chiaki. You finally came. I see you've brought new faces." Kheer answered, leaning on the chair. "They are Timothy's sisters, Trinity and Cassidy." Answered Aurora, "Wow, those names go well together." Kheer exclaimed as Timothy and his sisters joined them.

"Our mother chose the names before she passed away. She wanted to give us names similar to one another." Timothy explained with a stern look, "Ah, that's understandable. I hope your mother rests in peace. But I won't go into details. So, I've heard you're planning to visit Hailstone." Timothy and Chiaki nodded in sync, "I guess administrator Forest didn't have the strength to help you. But I'm sure Aurora's uncle can help you."

Chiaki kindly shook her head, "Administrator Forest was of big help. If he didn't tell us about Aurora's uncle, I don't know what we'd do." Chiaki explained while Alpha leaned on the chair, her arms crossed behind her neck.

"This table isn't big enough for all of us to sit about. How about you sit across from us? We're not too far to converse, and we won't be in the way of the waiters and waitresses."

After agreeing with Kheer, Timothy, Cassidy, and Trinity placed their bottoms on the seats and checked the menu, "Let's see... I could eat..." He began muttering out loud and surprising Kheer. "Do they have enough money?" Kheer wondered, looking at Aurora, "Everything's a-oh-kay. We agreed I'll pay." Aurora explained, smiling.

"Aren't you polite, Aurora? I heard you're going with them." Kheer grabbed the glass of juice, "I haven't seen uncle Glaze for a few months now. It'll be nice to see him again. Besides, somebody needs to show them around Hailstone. And I need to introduce them to my uncle's snow leopards before they freak out." Aurora giggled after ordering food and drinks. "I'm sure Slush and Sleet will get along with them quite well. They're good people, so they shouldn't do as much but bite them a little."

Chiaki looked at Aurora, "Is your entire family named after snow?" She wondered, "Pretty much, yeah. Our family tree always revolved around snow because we were born in Hailstone. But my father wanted to give me a more casual name, so he came up with Kate." Aurora explained, impressing Chiaki. "If you're wondering. Kate's my second name. I'm not the biggest fan of it."

Kheer laughed, "In short, she's picky. She only allows her mother to call her by that name. Isn't that right, Aurora." Kheer inquired, lowering the glass.

"It's not that I don't like it at all. That name's special in my mother's heart. I don't want anyone else to call me that but her. Besides, she's not in the greatest condition at the moment. Her sickness is getting worse." Kheer became composed after noticing Aurora becoming slightly upset, "Sickness? Do you mind if I know what's troubling her, Aurora?"

"She... She's been dealing with a lower respiratory infection. She's been struggling with it for quite some time now. I'm not sure if she'll make it." Aurora explained, worried and afraid. "Oh... I'm so sorry, Aurora. I hope she gets better."

"I hope so too, but the ideal time of her recovery should have been around one to two weeks, but even if it recovered once or twice, it keeps coming around. The doctor said if this routine continues, she'll most likely pass away."

Chiaki's eyes could easily tell Aurora's fear. She looked at Timothy, who silently listened in the background. "Let's forget about that and find a different subject to talk about. Kheer, any progress with your shipwright job?"

Kheer shared a glance with Aurora and smiled, "Not much progress. It's hard to be a shipwright without having many clients. I want to keep working and construct the biggest ship, but if I keep standing around, practically doing nothing at Itto-Itto Lands, I might not make it. I do have belief, but I also have doubt. Would be much better if I explored the Vast Expanse and gathered more information while also working on a ship." Kheer answered while Aurora looked at him.

"Why don't you ask Tim to join him on the adventure? He's a pirate, right? He's not some evildoer who doesn't tend to help people out a lot." Aurora answered, but Timothy couldn't focus on their conversation as he was getting teased by his sisters.

"She's not wrong, Kheer. We're missing a shipwright." Chiaki explained, "I'm sorry. I won't be able to join you. Believe me, I'd love to, but I have so much work that needs to be done here at Acropolis. I might not have many clients, but work's always around the corner. I hope you understand." He apologized, and Chiaki understood him. "No problem. I understand."

Kheer politely nodded, "Thank you. Now, let's prepare to eat. I'm sure the food should be prepared in 20 minutes or so."

They stayed in the Friendly Bear Restaurant for another hour and finished their food.

Timothy stood up, stretched his arms, and cracked his neck, "I'm stuffed! But nothing beats Ralphie's cooking." Timothy explained, lowering his arms and grabbing his duffel bag.

"Well, it's about time we get to the port. The ship to Hailstone should leave in about 30 minutes. We don't want to be late and wait another 48 hours before it returns." Aurora explained, allowing Timothy to nod.

"Thank you for paying for the food, Aurora. And thank you Kheer for redirecting us to the administrator Forest." Chiaki thanked them happily.

"Sure, no problem. And you, Alpha? Are you coming with us?" She looked at Alpha, shutting her eyes, "Nah. I'll stay here in Acropolis and keep a look out for that rabbit if it attacks again. I'm sure they'll need my help." Alpha yawned, "Now, if you don't mind. I'm gonna take a nap." She zoned out and fell asleep.

"I'll share my place with Alpha while you work on soul-linking with Aurora's uncle." Kheer explained, "I won't be back to Itto-Itto Lands any time soon. Have a safe trip." Chiaki neared her hands in front and bowed, "Thank you. I hope I can learn more about soul-linking in one year and then use the other year to learn how to fight more effectively."

Kheer stood up and showed a thumbs up with a wink, "I'm sure you got it. See you in two years then."

With that, they hurried outside into the city's night and toward the port as Kheer tried to wake Alpha up.

To be continued...