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It looked like the yeti was about to say more, only stopped as two more passed through the gate. Thera returned with Mora in tow, his teacher glancing their way before doing a double take at the young spirit, shaking his head in the end.

He could see exactly what the boy was but before he could comment, Thera cleared her throat, shooting her uncle a look that screamed her expectations from behind Mora’s back while she put on a far lighter voice for her explanation.

“Uncle Falk, so nice to have you back. I guess this is your first time meeting him but this is Mora, we’ve recently taken him in so I hope you’ll make him feel welcome.”

His teacher shot him a questioning look but Ben just nodded as the yeti turned back.

“Ah, well, nice to meet you, I suppose. You heard my niece, the name’s Falk. Uh, can I ask-”

“Later,” Thera cut him off. “We had a long day and were just about to head home.”

“Ah, I need to get Delair home too,” Ben added, with his teacher stopping him.

“Not so fast, I need to talk to you both and I don’t know when I’m going to have the time again. Spare me a few minutes here.”

“I can go back by myself, Ben,” Delair chimed in. “I came without Sachel today anyway, I can go back too.”

“Mmh, you’re in my care right now, I don’t really like the thought of that.”

“I can walk with her,” Mora told them, looking at them while Ben and Thera looked between themselves. He’d put out the offer himself, something he still didn’t do often which seemed like a positive step forward but he was still a child, with Ben ultimately sighing in the end.

“Nothing here should be able to hurt either of them while he’s around, right?”

“I mean, I guess, but…” Thera hesitated, still not liking the idea of leaving him to walk through town by himself but at the same time not wanting to get in his way when it seemed like he wanted to, especially if it was because he was trying on his own to build a friendship which was the ultimate factor that caused her to relent. “Okay, but if anything at all happens, call any spirit you see to find me and I’ll come as fast as I can. And will you wait with Delair and Fontesh until we come to pick you up or would you go back home after?”

“Will you be long?”

They both looked at Falk who for his part looked like he didn’t understand what he was seeing or how it had happened in the past few weeks before he answered. “Uh, the boy might be. It’s gonna depend.”

Mora stopped to think for a moment, nothing in his expression to give it away as he looked to Delair. “Would it be okay to stay with you while I wait?”

“Sure!”

“Then I’ll do that.”

With Delair already tugging on his arm as soon as he’d said it, the two were off on their own, left to get home and already leaving Thera to fret while Falk finally asked what he’d been wanting to.

“So, that’s the great soul spirit, huh?”

“It’s a long story but Vividus and Nox were able to have a child together,” Ben explained.

“And it seems like he’s actually a kid. Doesn’t just look like that?”

“Nope.”

“And you two are looking after him?”

“Yeah, because my garbage, bitch aunt dropped him at our doorstep,” Thera sighed. “But none of this matters. Mora’s a sweet kid and he’s in our care right now and we’re doing the best we can.”

“And parenthood is stressing Thera out to no end.”

“Guardianship, not parenthood.”

“What’s the meaningful difference between the two?”

She didn’t have an answer for that so she didn’t even try, instead turning to her uncle. “So, what was it you needed to talk to me about?”

“Ahem, well, he’s actually the topic. I’ve been asked to ask you to try and get the kid to work-”

Before he could say another word the ground was shaking beneath their feet, rattling them and the shop while Thera shot daggers at him with her eyes, sounding nothing but cold as she spoke. “Uncle, think very carefully before you go on.”

“Infinite hells girl, you could just say no. I was asked to ask you, now that I’ve done it, it’s officially no longer my business.”

“And who was it that asked you? Not many people know who or what Mora is, at least as far as I know.”

“One of the soul gods. I still get lessons from them on occasion and it was brought up. Now will you quit shaking the hell outta my shop?”

The building came still as she looked to Ben, the person she knew with the most contact with the gods, perhaps on the entire planet. “Have you heard anything about this?”

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“No, and if there’s something going on I’m going to assume the gods didn’t mention it to me because they already knew what I would say,” He told her before turning to Falk to give him some context. “Mora doesn’t want to use his magic. At least, that’s what Vividus said when she left him but he’ll do it in secret. We don’t know why and we’re not going to push him on it. We’re still in the whole ‘trying to get him to open up to us’ part of the relationship.”

Falk nodded as he explained, looking deep in thought before turning to his niece. “The boy’s right, you are his parents.”

“You aren’t helping yourself right now, uncle.”