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Vermillion nodded; "You're right, but I apologize up front for getting you in trouble with us and Lillia's room. Maybe later I can come back and ask Akuma if I can learn from you, after all this will be hers, or so I'm being told." Vermillion turned his head and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. "Keep up the good work Anabel."

Vermillion headed out to the stairs and started down. He heard talking below, and he gulped hearing a woman voice. He took a deep breath and kept on walking. Perhaps he wouldn't be noticed, and he would make it back to the island without so much a word spoken in anger for trespassing.

Vermillion paused at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm Vermillion Cevic lady..." Vermillion bowed at the waist, and when he rose back up he continued on as he came into the room. "You should remember me, Master kaos saved me from Twilite Town, a battle in which you particpated in, and from what Quannah has told me of picking you all up was the sacrifice you made."

Vermillion nodded respectfully to Chrono; "I came a few days afterward and had a discussion with chrono in which he showed me around the manor. I traded my chance to go back and see my wife and child, and gave that time to Kaos instead which is only fair considering no one had to come after me." Vermillion looked at Chrono; "My apologies for the long winded introduction, but yes I will take you up on that drink before going to see my daughter."

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Lena shivered at the way he reacted, she brought the rest of the things into the kitchen and set them down on the table. "I'm sorry, you just looked older then how I was told you would look, but i'll go outside and wait for my friends to get back. They are bringing you a resupply on the meat we had used up."

Lena walked outside and sat down at the edge of the Island and stuck her feet over to hang.

"Well, I'm glad you looked after my mother's sister, although I thought she left with another man? He was larger and didn't talk much."

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Vermillion sipped the wine; "Chrono, while I have this moment alone with you I wish to confess something, and i would gladly accept any punishment you give me. I just hope my honesty reflects well in my sentence. I was here earlier with friends, and we asked if all of us could go back and help with the effort there. Well i couldn't go so i went up stairs with my daughter see, and I introduced her to Anabel. Well to make a long story short, I didn't know and went out on the balcony of your daughter room. Anabel came and got us out of there, but rather then you find out second hand I'll tell you now. I honestly didn't know, and I stand ready to take any punishment you desire."

Lena got up smiling; "Sure i'll go help." She yawned loudly, and followed Kaos back inside to the kitchen. She took up drying them and setting them off to the side in groups.

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Vermillion shivered and drank a large portion of the wine. "Lord Chrono, i was fully expecting my death in that glare, but the point was well made. However their is another matter concerning Anabel, but that can wait for later. I must take her advice and go spend time with my daughter before Lena goes back to the land of the living." Vermillion finished the sip he had left in the glass. "Thank you for the drink, and perhaps I can sit in for a game later." Vermillion indicated the deck of cards as he set his wine glass down.

He paused again as Akuma came back into the room; "I must be off Lady Akuma, I wish you fair days, and success in your studies." Vermillion nodded to Tsume, and turned to leave.

Vermillion knocked on the door as he came in; "Hello....master kaos, you wouldn't happen to know where a little dragon child got off to would ya?"

Lena leaned against the counter; "Were in the kitchen dad, come on in, but were almost done so have a seat." Vermillion slid into a chair; "Hey there pumpkin, you don't look so hot, you feeling okay, and maybe you should take a break." The onion popped out of Lena's hands at the sound of her father calling her pumpkin. She blushed a bit; "Dad, please, I'm not a little girl no more, but I think i will take you up on that break." Lena retrieved the onion and finished drying it and setting it with the others as she sat down at the table. "Where were you?"

Vermillion sighed; "I went back to apologize for us going into Lillia's room, and losing track of time in a new hobby. I had a drink with chrono and came clean to him about the mistake. You know he can actually freeze a glass with just a glare, i was thinking I was going to die, but then he starts laughing. So i guess we're okay on that?" Vermillion watched Lena hiccup trying to hold back a laugh; "you mean to tell me my fearless father, veteran of many bloody battles along the river, was scared by a glare?"

Vermillion narrowed his eyes; "Talk big now child, wait until it happens to you, maybe you might have the chance to see said glare before your time is through." Lenamade herself look innocent; "He wouldn't scare a poor little girl like me."

Vermillion nodded as Lena smiled a bit; "Yeah, lets just say I didn't like being the first person he tried it on."

Lena mused; "You should feel honored, old soldier like you, suriving the glare of a Legend here, and keeping your head to boot." Vermillion shook his head; "Lena, I don't understand where you find the honor in that, I really didn't enjoy the experience at all, and its not something I want keep remembering. On a lighter note though, I think I surprised Akuma in how well I clean up, she didn't even remember me, and I think Anabel has a thing for me."

Lena smile almost split her face in two. Vermillion rolled his eyes and asked; "Alright child out with it, what has you smiling like the hatter at Twilite Town?" "Just the fact that if you and Anabel were to form a realtionship, Yuma and Kaos would be yesterdays news." Lena looked at kaos; "No offense Kaos, you still hold a firm grip in the gossip fences of Arynia, and the pool stands about 4000 gold at the moment. The only probelm in someone cashing in on it is summoning the courage to ask Sorrow the question."

Vermillion coughed on purpose and Lena stopped; 'What, I'm just giving..." "You are becoming your mother in so many ways, you survived under Hiyru's temporary rule by gossiping, and starting a pool?" Lena shrugged; "Better then running around town brandishing weapons or magic insanely with no chance of defeating the hordes of soliders aiming to stop you. I mean it was boring being cooped up all day, but we needed something to do to pass time. Now all i need to do is tell mother you're falling in love with...."

Vermillion jumped to his feet; "You'll do no such thing, hell it would be three quarters to Aquios before the end of the first night, and it would devestate her to think i would be unfaithful." "Silly boy, didn't you ever catch on when you were alive, mother always wanted to please you with with having two females in your bed at once, but since you never caught on she was afraid you didn't like it."

Vermillion blinked for a moment; "Listen, before you go passing rumors about, i'm not even sure Anabel likes me like that. I want to learn how she uses her power to aide plants in hopes of starting my own garden here. If it were to devlop into something like that, then there is her desires to consider, Anabel may not want what Mary wants, and i will not have that tossed about by old wives in the living. I can garauntee with certainity it would come back here to haunt me. So don't you dare start something vicious like that without having facts to back it up."

"My sister wanted to share her bed with another, wow so lucky, because i may have taken her up on the offer." Quannah leaned int he doorway to the kitchen, she was smiling, and Vermillion just sank to his chair holding his head. Quannah moved in patting his back; "Its okay Vermillion." Quannah looked at Kaos; "We caught three rabbits, we was needing to know how you want them chopped up, and if you wish to cure them or would like us to."

"Aunt Quannah, why do you pick on him, because I could be wrong all along?" Quannah shook her head as she got to the door to the kitchen; "Lena, you weren't that wrong, neither was Kaos, but when someone leaves you with a child on the way to go sit on a river waiting for a fight, you begin to question if such a thing wouldn't bring him home. However, thankfully things worked out that it never came to pass, you hatched, and the change took place in Vermillion that needed to be done."

Quannah stepped out of the kitchen and the front door was closed.

Vermillion ran his hands back through his hair; "I didn't think I was that bad, but I guess I know now. Thanks for the tip Kaos, and let us take our leave of him Lena. He's about to be very busy, and doesn't need us loafing about to slow his progress."

Lena stood up; "Thanks for letting us stay here Kaos, your a very nice host, and maybe well meet again someday."

Vermillion got up and just nodded before taking his daughters hand to lead her outside.

Lena pulled her hand loose from her fathers and followed kaos over to the rabbits and just wrapped him in a hug. "I hope not, although there is nice people here, and if dad is going to start a garden. Then he and mother will need help with it when I get here." Lena let go of him and trotted back to Vermillion watching Bri let go to run to Xack.

Vermillion smiled and waived to Bri, and they both took off heading for where Vermillion had staked out his claim.

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Quannah pulled with her teeth on the hide, and SalSoon held onto the limbs. Arcadia worked quick cut the joints and the carcasses were finally ready They were laying on underside of their hides so grass or hair wouldn't get on the meat. Quannah spit out the hair and looked at Xack; What would Bri be missing by giving Vermillion a hug, and saying hello to the old man?"