Mom... Don't You Have A Family

It's been two weeks since I first introduced Yoko and Harri, so mother already heard about them. Since it was the first time I brought people home, of course she'd be curious. But whenever they came, she would just stay quietly in her room, and only ask me about them once they left. I'm worried she may have developed agoraphobia over the past years… She never goes out and avoids meeting strangers. She also probably got worried about the racial prejudices and hides herself, not wanting to 'surprise' my friends. They already know about her being an elf, though.

On the other hand, Yoko and Harri have been wanting to meet her since day one, curious to see what kind of woman gave birth to me. However, their curiosity quickly subsided as I explained them that she was just a normal elf –sort of. Besides, since most of the time, they were too busy fighting, they forgot about it soon enough.

So I need to make sure their first meeting goes well. The first impressions are always the most important. For this, I need to draw the line.

"One last rule. And that goes for both of you," I added. "No skinship with my mother allowed."

Yup, if I'm going to let two weirdoes with my mother, this is a given.

Yoko and Harri both furrowed their forehead, clearly not understanding the necessity of this last rule. However, they don't seem to contest my decision.

"Fine but, shouldn't I inspect her mana core first?" Yoko asked.

…She has a point. With an unknown mage targeting the family, the least I can do is to inspect mother's mana core. I may have blessed her, but I'm not sure how this 'Divine protection' works. However, letting Yoko kiss mother is a bit… Ew.

"I don't need to kiss her, if this is what's bothering you." Yoko bluntly said, as she probably guessed what I was thinking. "I just need a physical contact. The more intimate, the better though."

"Umh… Fine. One hug. Do it naturally."

Having finished establishing the rules, all there is left to do is for them to meet. So I guided my guests to mother's room, as I started to grow nervous. Except for special occasions or when she is out to see me, she never leaves her room so she should be here. Her room was at the opposite of mine. My uncle decided so, in an attempt to separate the young child I was from my mother and decrease my moral, making me more vulnerable. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't quite a normal child, so it was useless. Besides, ever since I was allowed out, I only need to cross the corridor to see mother.

When we finally arrived in front of her room, I turned to the two Gods following me.

"Stay here and don't make a sound. I will talk to her first, then, when you get my signal, you can come in. Understood?"

With a small grin, they both silently answered raising their hand, as they connected their index finger to their thumb into a circle, forming an OK sign.

Knocking at the door, I didn't need to wait a long time before I heard a small voice asking me to enter. Taking a deep breath, I entered the room, giving one last glance behind me, before closing the door. I immediately noticed mother sitting in a chair beside the window. As she saw me, she gently smiled at me.

"What brings you here, Lyni?" She asked. "Did your guests already leave?"

I shook my head. "No, they're still here."

"Is that so? Then you shouldn't leave them alone, you know?"

"Yeah…"

As I fell silent, mother stood from her chair, before walking to the bed. She sat on it and patted the blanket, inviting me to come. Obeying, I stepped forward and stopped at the foot of the bed, taking a seat next to her.

"What's wrong, Lyni?" She asked, as she brought her hand to my cheek, seemingly worried. "What's on your mind? Is there something you want to ask?"

Maternal instinct on point. I heard that mothers could tell when their children were troubled by something, I guess it's true.

"Mom," I muttered. "Have you ever thought about leaving this place?"

For her few seconds, she widened her eyes, as she clearly not expected me to ask her something like this. "Did something happen? Did somebody mistreat you? Is there something you're unhappy about?" She asked, her eyes tight and worried.

I shook my head, reassuring her. "No, I was just wondering… if we were to leave, where would you want to go?"

Mother slightly tilted her head to the side, seemingly surprised by my sudden question. "Lyni, we can't leave. Your father was the head of this house. You and your brother belong to this family."

"I know, but if you could leave, is there anywhere you want to go?"

She stayed silent for a while, before a weak smile played on her lips. Since I was insisting, she didn't push the matter any further and simply responded. "Anywhere is fine. As long as we're together, nothing else matters. We'll always manage to overcome any hardship."

Oh… I expected something like this. Coming from her, such a philosophic answer isn't surprising, but it's still a little disappointing. That's too vague. I know that mother is a selfless person and barely thinks of her own happiness, but she should have at least a few wishes. A place where she wants to go, a place where she wants to return. A home.

Mother is really secretive, so I don't know much about her past. She never talks about it and since it's obviously filled with painful memories, I never really dared to ask. She never even told me anything about my father. Everything I know about him, I learned it from the servants. Even Aoban doesn't remember much about him, and I can't expect to get anything from my uncle or my aunt, since the daddy topic seems to be a taboo subject. Still, just because she doesn't talk about it, it doesn't mean mother doesn't have a past. How and with who did she live before she got captured?

"Mom… Don't you have a family?" I eventually asked, after hesitating a bit.

For a slit of a second, mother froze, clearly taken aback by my sudden question. She stared blankly at me for a few seconds before she relaxed her expression. A kind smile appeared on her face.

"You are my family, you and your brother."

…That's a no? But obviously, she's only thinking about me and Aoban, so even if it's only for a few months, leaving her behind is making me feel guilty. I feel like betraying her. When Aoban had to leave, she felt really down. He sent a lot of letters and came back every semester, but as a mother, I guess it's still hard to be separated from your children. Still, she managed to endure her loneliness because I was here. But if I were to leave too…

Hearing a sudden chortle, I looked up at mother, who was seemingly amused by my silent dilemma.

"You don't have to worry about me, you know?" She said, still chuckling. "I can take care of myself, so you can go."

Huh? She probably saw the confusion on my face before I could hide it, as she continued.

"You're leaving, right? Isn't it why you came here? I already heard from your uncle that you'll be joining your brother. So if you're worried about me, don't. You have to think about yourself first. It's a good opportunity for your future, besides, didn't you always regret not being able to go with your brother? Don't throw away this chance because of me. I'm the one supposed to take care of you, not the other way around Lyni." She said with a teasing smile.

Oh… Maternal instinct sure is a terrifying thing. But, she said that she already heard it from Uncle Jack? So he warned mother about my future departure even before consulting me about it. This bastard… He knew I wasn't going to refuse, didn't he? Still, it seems that he didn't tell her everything, since mother clearly doesn't know about our deal. Well, I guess it's better this way. I don't like deceiving her, but if she knew, she would get unnecessarily worried, knowing that I'm obviously taking part of my uncle's schemes.

"Sorry, I'll go…" I responded with a small voice.

As a sweet smile drew on her face, she gently took me in her arms.

"There is nothing for you to be afraid of, Lyni." She said, patting my hair. "Your brother will be there with you. If anything happens, talk to him. He will protect you. And I'm not going anywhere; I'll always wait for you. So you don't have to be worried."

That's not what I'm worried about, although because of my asocial personality, mother is probably thinking of me as a shy and insecure young girl. But I'm just awkward with people, and not really good at expressing myself or understanding others. I don't want to be the one who needs to be protected again.

"You too, mom." I muttered. "You don't have to worry, since you won't be alone either."

Slowly releasing me from her embrace, mother looked at me with her squinted eyes, probably trying to comprehend what I meant by that.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Well, you see-"

Before I could start explaining myself, a huge 'Bang!' echoed in the room, as the door slammed open. Two figures entered the chamber.

"Hello! Nice to meet you!" Yoko exclaimed with a broad smile.

… Stupid fox. That wasn't the signal.

"Good afternoon." Harri greeted in his turn, as he let his gaze wander around the area, trying to avoid any eye contact.

Startled by the sudden intruders, mother froze, without uttering a word, as she blankly stared at them, her eyes wide opened. Since no one was saying anything, I spoke up, trying to dispel the confusion.

"Uhm, mom? This is Yoko, and this is Harri. They're my guests."

Mother slowly turned her gaze back on me, with a hint of disbelief in them. She had already heard about them –they were a hot topic among the servants after all- but hearing and seeing are two different things. Knowing they were my friends, she was probably expecting to see people of my age. Instead she saw an incredibly good looking couple, and the fact that they both had golden eyes didn't help in subsiding her shock. She became really tense.

The other side wasn't any better. Knowing Harri's personality, I forbid him to overdo it with the compliments and the skinship. But since it was contradicting his character, he started to act really awkwardly, forcing his expressions. On the other hand, Yoko just stood there, smiling. However, given the tense atmosphere, her bright smile only made mother even more uncomfortable.

Well, this is what I call an awkward meeting.

Eventually, getting a grip on herself, mother broke the silence. "Nice to meet you. I am called Azariah. I'm Lynett's mother."

"Yes, we've heard a lot about you!" Yoko exclaimed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Harri added with an awkward smile, clearly struggling keeping my rules. Who would have thought that not flattering someone was so difficult?

"They have their own circumstances, so they will be staying here for a while," I explained. "They're a bit special, but they're not mean. Uhm… I guess they will keep you company while I'm not here." I explained.

Mother listened to me silently, but I could tell she was just as confused as before. I didn't exactly give her the time to digest the situation that I'm imposing her. However, since they were my guests and probably didn't want to be rude to them, she didn't say anything and simply gave off a weak smile.

"We will be in you care –or more like the opposite but it doesn't matter." Yoko said, as she stepped forward.

Not even giving mother a chance to react, Yoko suddenly pulled her to her side and put her arms around her back. That's not what I would call a 'natural' hug, but well… I guess this is the best she could do. Startled by her sudden action, mother didn't even think to react and just froze in place. She tensed up, receiving the surprise hug. Behind her back, I tried giving Yoko some signals, asking her to hurry, but she closed her eyes. I'm not sure if she was focusing on analyzing mother's mana core or if she was purposely ignoring me.

As I thought, it did last for a while. When mother finally realized the situation she was in, she tried to free herself, but Yoko showed no signs of letting her go. Since she didn't want to be rude and force the way out, she tried calling her out. However, Yoko turned a deaf ear.

The awkward situation lasted for a few minutes, before Yoko finally released mother from her embrace. As if nothing happened, she simply gave off a bright smile, turning to Harri.

"Well, let's go, honey! Let's give some time to our friend and her mother!" She said, heading to the door.

"Sure... Excuse us." Harri responded, as he followed her.

Just like that, those two exited the room, leaving me and my confused mother behind. Giving a quick glance to her, she really looked like a lost child, still unsure of what happened. After staring into the distance for a while, mother turned her gaze in my direction, looking at me with dubitative eyes, clearly expecting me to say something.

"Uhm, well… I told you they were a little special." I tried to explain, as I looked away. "Because she's from the beastkin, Yoko's a bit tactile, don't mind her actions."

She didn't answer anything. Instead, she simply kept looking at me, with the same skeptical and worried eyes. Probably not what she was expecting from my first friends. Well, if my child, who stayed a loner for years, one day suddenly came home with an eccentric couple as friends, I guess I would get worried too and start asking questions.

Trying to ease her mind, I slightly tilted my head, adopted a child-like expression and displayed a candid smile. Mother sighed.

Yup. She's definitely thinking that I'm choosing wrong my friends and that I'm hanging with the wrong crowd. But well… Unlike the meeting with my uncle and my aunt, it went pretty fine. Actually, considering Yoko and Harri's excessiveness, I guess it couldn't have been better. I hope this awkwardness will quickly subside though. Otherwise, the next months are going to be a pain for those three.