Home Invasion

I decided to start from the party wipe and go from there. I explained everything in as much detail as I could to Lesha.

For her part, she sat quietly and nodded at the appropriate times, and it actually looked like she was interested in what I was saying. Weird, I wasn't sure why any of that was important, but then, I was just a stupid meathead head tank and a girl to boot.

My opinion on matters was usually not asked for or shrugged off when given. so, I guess it was just nice to have someone actually listen.

After explaining, both of us sat quietly, but my father shattered the silence. I was so distracted that I lost track of the time and let myself slip.

My father's bone-rattling yell for supper came at the top of his lungs. I was normally ready for him at the door to rip it open and attack him for his stupid antics.

"SUPPER TIME LADIES!" roared my father from outside my room.

I looked at Lesha and she had a big smile on her face. What was she smiling about?

"You and your dad have a nice relationship, I didn't have that kind of a father. He was a straight edge adventure and a general before that. So, I only got advice on how to be better, but I still am lacking so much…" Lesha said, her voice trailing off.

"Come on, let's go eat," I said, seeing that the memories were troubling her.

I stood up and offered her a hand up, but then dropped it. What was I doing? It was a bed, she wasn't sitting on the ground, but then she caught my hand before I fully let it drop.

I froze in place. Even though I had offered my hand, I never expected her to take it.

When she gripped my hand, I unfroze. I held her hand as she stood up and then she gave a warm smile.

Then she looked down at the hand I was still holding. I dropped it quick, too quick, I turned, almost walking into the closed door, but stopped myself, and let out a long breath.

I opened the door and headed for the stairs, hoping Lesha would follow. I didn't rush down the stairs this time, I wasn't in a rush to sit at the dinner table with the two of them.

I walked and took deep breaths quietly. I could feel the heat still in my face, and I was not walking into a room with my father and Lesha with a red face.

"K, your face looks like you soaking it in a bowl of tomatoes! Are you okay? What was that girl doing to you up there?" My father said in a lecherous voice with his eyes peeled back in mock surprise.

"I will end you old man if I hear just one more comment from you!" I growled.

"Calm down woman, come sit down with your lady friend and eat some damn stew!" my father said with a laugh.

I walked over to a dusty seat across from my father, he must have grabbed this from upstairs. He only brought them down if we had guests or the idiots visited, but they had been keeping busy.

As much as I didn't like the four idiots, they were some of the best in their class. To top it all off, three of them were Topaz ranks Adventure. Only Pike the youngest was an emerald, but last I heard he was almost ready to take the test.

I brushed off the seat and sat down. My clothes were already dirty, so a little dust wasn't going to hurt them.

Lesha took the chair beside mine, but the second she sat down, there was a knock at the door. Who would that be? I had a creeping suspicion I knew exactly who my father had run and told the second my door closed.

"James! It's so good to see you, I was walking by and thought I might stop by to say hi on my way home! Oh K, you have a friend over, that's interesting," Leina, the woman my father was seeing said, walking into the house.

That bastard! Perfect, this damn woman lived on the other side of town, and the bakery she worked at was the halfway point. She had no damn business being over here except to see my father. This only meant one thing…

"Liena! What a surprise to see you here, I would have never guessed that you would stop by at such a perfect moment! You should join us for a meal, K brought home a friend! A real friend!" My father said with a laugh, ushering Leina to one of the dust lest chairs that my father and I used.

I was going to skin him alive, but that's when I looked around. I finally noticed ALL of the chairs and the much larger than a normal pot of stew.

No, he wouldn't...they hadn't been around in months, there is no way…

"Liena!" Four male voices chimed, coming closer.

There was no way to escape, why would he do this to me?

'We could just kill them.' -Drania.

Woah! Where is the little angel to argue the point of why that was a bad idea?

'Or, you could try for once to act like a grown and mature woman around men.' -Drania.

'Don't act as you know me, and I would act better if they could keep their stupid remarks to themselves. Watch, I try this civility you speak of, and I will show you the results.'

I took a deep breath and prepared for the storm of hoots and cheers, but they didn't come. Liena and my four brothers, Mike, Rick, Mort, and Pike walked the house, and they all looked different.

I mean they were still my idiot brothers, but something had changed with them. They seemed more hardened and serious from what I remembered, but then they saw me, crap!

"K? Are you okay?" Rick asked, walking straight at me.

"What?" I asked, still confused, but the question and, well, all of them.

"You survived a party wipe! It's all over the guild!" Pike cheered.

"What? How do people already know?" I asked, completely stunned, but my father cut everyone off.

"WHAT?! Party wipe? What do they already know?!" My father roared.

"Did you really touch it, sis? Did you touch the Dungeon Core?" Rick asked walking up beside Mike.

"Who are you and what did you do with my idiot brothers?" I asked, squinting at them all.

"Calm down, K, it's been six months since we saw each other. Things...have happened, and now we are all a bit more level-headed about things," Mike said looking away.

"DAMNIT K, DON'T IGNORE YOUR OLD MAN!" My father barked.