Chapter: 629 – Celebration: Day Three, End

Tala and Rane led the group out into Alefast, Waning on the third and final day of their celebration of Lea’s birthday.

Lea had more than proven herself over the past days, at least in mundane interactions, and the girl was practically skipping as she moved among the other celebrants, chatting and enjoying her time with them.

Tala and Rane kept their aura extended around her. It wouldn’t be enough to stop the girl if something went catastrophically wrong—not by itself—but they should be able to mitigate and delay things, hopefully keeping everyone alive through whatever came.

But that poor outlook was only in the event of catastrophe.

Terry rested on Lea’s shoulder, an easy anchor and source for their aura, as well as a comfort and companion to their daughter.

Rane’s family had met them at the exit to the sanctum, along with the other ‘local’ guests, and at the moment, his father was laughing at some story or other that Lea was telling, clear joy evident in his interactions with the girl.

She, in turn, seemed more oriented to her paternal grandparents than ever, but thankfully not to the point of neglecting her other guests.

Her Gredial aunts and uncles weren’t in town, and that was a mixed blessing.

Rane didn’t dislike most of his siblings, but it definitely would have made things more socially awkward to have them about. They would have needed to be invited if they’d been in the city as well, so that was the good side of things.

That wouldn’t work forever, as the younger ones would be coming back from the Academy soon enough, too, but Rane wasn’t against seeing them more regularly.

On the negative, Lea seemed to be gaining a greater understanding of, and desire for, connection with Rane’s siblings. Her sadness when she’d asked if they were going to be in attendance and been told no, was heartbreaking to witness.

Thus are the reactions of a four year old.

-No, no those aren’t. A normal four year old might have thrown a tantrum, or pouted, despite the other guests. Lea felt the sadness, but wasn’t mastered by it.-

Tala hesitated, considering. Finally, she nodded. That’s fair. She did take it well, even if it was obvious she’d have preferred a different result.

-Exactly.-

That train of thought had Tala truly considering her daughter yet again.

She was clearly relishing her time with her grandparents, but she was also skillfully including those around her as well, drawing them into conversation and asking after various aspects of their lives with more grace than Tala had ever managed.

Rust… I really do have an extrovert.

-That we do…-

Lea’s language skills, always exemplary, had moved to a new level of late, her thoughts and intentions coming together smoothly and articulately, even when she was caught off guard with a question or idea.

Beyond that, she moved like a dancer—or a predator—seeming always in balance, always ready to move in any direction. She was centered and in control of her own movements, always aware of her own body and all that was around her.

It was only as Tala looked closer that she noticed the girl occasionally tapping those who walked nearby, nudging them to keep them from tripping, or helping to fix their balance before they even realized they were slightly off kilter. Adding to her obvious social graces, each such was disguised as a hand on the shoulder to grab attention, or a light touch with a smile, expressing familial affection, or some other small physical expression of the same.

If not for her magic—and Tala’s threefold sight—she would appear, for all intents and purposes, like an incredibly confident, outgoing young woman.

The girl’s magic was obviously new to her… At least it would be so for anyone with even a half-way trained eye, even though she was just as obviously keeping it under control.

All in all, their daughter was doing fantastic, and they were looking forward to many more wonderful years with her in the future.

Rane must have been thinking along similar lines—or he noticed Tala’s attention—because he finished up his previous conversation and put his arm around Tala as they walked, pulling her close and whispering. “She’s an amazing little girl, isn’t she?”

“That she is.”

Tala leaned her head against him, thinking about her husband in turn.

Rane had truly risen to the occasion as Lea’s father. He spent more time with the girl than Tala did, and his orientation was always toward helping Lea understand more and interact with the world around them in a more beneficial way.

It could be viewed as manipulative, trying to get the most out of her surroundings as possible, but the way Rane put it forward, it was a win-win.

Lea shouldn’t idly break a branch off of a tree, because if she did, it wouldn’t be there to provide fruit or shade or beauty. Don’t be mean or unkind, be fair and a good playmate, or that person won’t want to play with her any more.

Even for those she’d never see again, or who could never ‘give’ her anything in return, Rane had thoughts on that. Such people were to be treated well and given every advantage, because doing so made Lea a better person and better off.

The added benefit in more fleeting interactions was that Lea could go above and beyond, well beyond her comfort zone, and since she’d never see them again? She wouldn’t have created an expectation of such behavior going forward.

Tala wasn’t quite sure she agreed, though she didn’t exactly disagree. It was a funny, not-quite-selfish way of viewing the world.

My behavior affects me more than anyone else. If I behave badly, I am harming myself.

-I can see the echoes of that in how he acts. It’s odd to have morality and right action so rooted in ‘selfishness’.-

I know, right?

Still, Tala knew that at least part of that way of thinking was a core tenet behind Rane’s own Reforging process. He was remaking himself in order to be of more use, of more help, to be stronger for others. Why did he want to be of more use and all that? Well, because acting well made him better.

It was a self-sustaining loop that Tala didn’t quite understand, even if she agreed with most of the components.

He strove to be a better husband, not because he felt she deserved a better husband—though he occasionally stated that he did believe that too—but because it was better for him to be a good husband. He wanted ‘good husband’ to be something that defined him, so being so built toward his own goal.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

It was similar to being a father. In that way, even when he was doing things that actually had no interest for him, or even that he actively disliked, he was still working toward his goal of being a better father. Thus, even while doing what he didn’t want to do—so long as he was moving in a direction he desired—he was actually doing exactly what he wanted.

On a broader scale, Rane wanted to be there for humanity. He wanted to help protect, defend, and uplift those weaker than him, and he’d reasoned that if he could get stronger, he’d have more people to help, both because he could help allow there to be more people, and because he’d become stronger than others; thus, he had added them to the number of those weaker than him.

All told, it seemed to be an incredibly solid base from which to build his Reforging.

They’d talked through various methods for the actual physical side of things, given a change of mindset and attitude weren’t nearly enough on their own.

He wouldn’t be creating an entirely new body and moving himself into it. Instead, he would be remaking himself through a combination of healing artifacts, constructs, and his own boosted regeneration.

That also didn’t make sense to Tala, but she knew better than to directly challenge him on his own ideas about Reforging.