Welcome to Gaia! ::

Life had been keeping Lioe busy as of late. With the shop planning to expand, he was the chosen employee to retake stock of everything they had in shop; including the dusty old storeroom the owner hadn't touched in a decade. It was steady, slow, and simple enough to be almost tedious. Perfect for a slacker like Lioe. Even he was ready for a break by the end of the week though. What better way to relax by having a nice breakfast and then laying down on the couch for a nap?

When he heard the knocking at his door, he almost didn't get up to look. Zadia hadn't said anything about a visit and Isaia was out on one of his trips, so that only left someone from work. With a grunt of annoyance, he stood up and straightened out his- uh- pajamas... "I'll be right there!" With a quick change into something comfortable but day appropriate, he covered a yawn and pulled the door open. It took a moment to register who was standing there and he gave a pleased sigh of relief. "Oh, it's you!" He started to smile, but something about Uquin's posture made it falter. "Do you wanna come in?"

With the front door shut again, Lioe gave his sitting room a quick scan. The couch was small but clear enough for sitting since he had just been napping. The only other chair was layered with a blanket and clothes that needed washing. At least it wasn't as though he did enough heavy labor to make his clothes smell too much... He gestured toward the couch for his father to sit.

He wasn't used to entertaining others... frankly, Zadia was the only other person to have actually come into his home for a visit once they had gotten separate living arrangements. He could have shared with his sister forever if he'd been able to, but even he had felt the urge to have his own place now that he was getting older. Of course, something told him this wasn't just any visit. "Yeah, I've got today off." He pressed his lips slightly and debated being direct to figure out the reason for his father's presence. ...Direct wasn't quite his style. "Do you want something to drink? Hungry, maybe?"

Ah, so this was something serious. Lioe hesitated before he walked over to the chair layered with clothing. He unceremoniously shoved the layers to the floor and perched on the edge of the now open seat. He wasn't sure why he didn't just sit next to his father.. His own nerves were already on edge now that he was seeing the older healer looking so worn and weary. Of course, his first thought went to his siblings. Someone had been hurt... He straightened his back a little to brace himself for whatever news was to come. "How bad is it?"

Lioe's stomach sank while his imagination went wild. Isaia's airship had gone down, or Zadia's work had caught up with her, or Marcella had been injured in some explorative fancy. When the news finally came out.. he hadn't expected to actually be right. He had hoped he wouldn't be right.

It took a few seconds to sink in, but all at once Lioe's face paled while his eyes went wide. Isaia.. A crash was bad, but even that wouldn't have Uquin looking like this. There was definitely more to this. "How bad was he hurt? Is he going to be okay?"

At least Isaia was alive, but- "What do you mean 'they didn't say?' What made them think that part wasn't important to let us know?" His voice had risen slightly with a sharpness that was unusual for him. His mind had instantly gone to the worst scenarios, most of which ended with Isaia not making it home... An imagination was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

Any other complaints about the lack of information would be cut short when he realized Uquin had more to say... and what a bomb that was. He stared blankly for a long moment, piecing together what he'd just been told. "Mom's... missing?" Not only was Isaia likely seriously injured, but their mother was also missing from the same crash. He put a hand over his mouth and braced his elbows onto his knees to fend off a dizzying wave of vertigo.

As with Isaia, Lioe's mind spun through the possibilities of what could have happened to his mother. As much as he tried to halt the progress, morbid scenario after morbid scenario flitted behind his eyelids, each one worse than the last. The touch to his back was just enough to pull most of his attention out of the vicious whirlpool in his head.

He gulped in a deep breath and raked his fingers through his hair a few times. "It's possible," he said thickly, sounding as believable as Uquin had. He cleared his throat and picked his head up, though his arms remained on his knees. "You said.. you and Zadia are going? When?"

A battle fought in Lioe's mind. Uquin and Zadia were going tomorrow... he should want to go, too.. shouldn't he? Part of him did. He wanted to go of some sort of assistance. Yet, another part.. it would be a long trip. Would he even be able to help over there?

Still... 'Your sister and I are going... some time before we are back...' A decision had been made. Had they thought about asking him at all? "I guess I'll stay here then. Watch the houses and stuff," he murmured, unable to keep the sourness out of his words. Of course, he immediately flinched from his own tone. If he was feeling stressed, he could only imagine how Uquin was doing! The fact that the man was even standing-! "Sorry, dad," he murmured softly. "I'll handle things here, really."