I N T R O D U C T I O N x S O L O
The Lady of the House


Rinza hummed, lightly sucking her cheek as she leaned back to brace her elbows on the kitchen counter. She regarded the man in front of her, head cocked to the side with a thoughtful expression on her face. He was taller than her and always had been, but even more so when he stood straight before her own slouched frame. He held the mug she'd offered him, watching her as intently as she watched him.

Nyro was the second-most familiar person this side of the golden continent, and as inclined as she was to give him the things he asked for, Rinza could think of someone else who might be... less enthused by the prospect. She gave a slow roll of her shoulders, the short tendrils of her chin-length teal hair bobbing against them before she settled again. "We've lived on our own since before she was born," the Orderite woman grunted out. "And I know you've been here as often as ya could, but never more than a couple months at a time. Luka's good for taking those things in stride, but I dunno if she wants you living here."

Nyro's expression pinched briefly; inquisitive, unsure, but bold enough to voice his thoughts. "I didn't ask if it was alright with her. You're her mother, and I'm her father. If we decide this is what we want and what is best for her-"

"Hey, Guy, hey," Rinza clucked, straightening enough to put her hands on her hips, her blue eyes widening as if the man spoke of treason. "I done told ya it's fine by me. But ya gotta convince the lady of the house if you're expecting anything to change."

His blue eyes narrowed, lips tightening a fraction. He knew and adored his daughter, his little girl. But she was bold, independent, and as rebellious as her mother. Asking her permission for anything was akin to begging to be shot down. Nyro frowned and took the one step forward to bring him against the smaller female. He collected one of her hands in his own and drew it up to settle on his chest. "This devotion you put into everything you touch is one of many things I admire about you. But Luka is a child, and I'm not asking a child's permission to be with the woman I love."

Rinza's commitment faltered at his touch. Her lashes flit to half-mast, and she dipped forward on little more than instinct, seeking the companionship she'd learned and accepted to live without. She rested her forehead on his shoulder. Nyro had been hers for as long as her daughter had. She'd wanted him longer, appreciated him longer, loved him longer, and if he was prepared to surrender the life of a war hero for her, she should be grateful. She should agree readily. She was excited by the thought. However, "No one in this or any realm means more to me than she does. If your continued presence would make her unhappy, I would be unhappy, and I can't allow that." Rinza inhaled slowly, her lips dusting the side of his neck before she tugged back. "You convince the girl, you convince me. She likes you enough. It shouldn't be hard."

Regardless, when Luka was summoned from her chambers and presented with the news, her brow furrowed and her lips puckered as if she'd eaten something sour. "You want to stay in my kingdom, my home for how long?"

"Your kingdom...?" Nyro repeated in a low grunt, casting a wary glance toward a beaming and delightedly amused Rinza from the corner of his eye. He'd expected some kind of input from the woman who claimed to be the girl's mother, but she merely looked on with tickled glee. "Right, your... kingdom..." Luka tapped her foot. "I'd stay as long as it made your mother- and you- happy."

This statement seemed to perturb the young girl. She blinked, stilled, and then gave an almost mechanical twitch of her head to face Rinza. Her mother always seemed happy. The Orderite woman gave her nothing but smiles and laughter so long as she was in plain view. But by eight summers, Luka could see other things at work. When they went shopping in the nearby 'kingdom' of Ashen City, no one liked her mother there. They whispered behind her back, when they thought she wouldn't hear. When Rinza tended her alchemical herbs, she kept her head down, and when she returned inside, her silvery cheeks were red and blotchy and the rims of her clear blue eyes were pink. Luka wasn't so foolish that she didn't know what crying looked like.

She could keep her mother's spirits high, but it was a full-time task, and sometimes it got away from her. It was a task she'd be willing to share. Luka licked her lips. "Would it... Make you happy, Mama?" She ventured to ask.

Rinza smiled softly. She moved to her daughter's side, and threaded long, oceanic waves of the girl's teal hair through her fingers. "Ya make me happy, little angel," she whispered. "And no one does a better job of it than you. But I've known your daddy a long time. Before you made me happy, he made me happy."

The young girl considered this. She didn't dislike Nyro. He wasn't a bad person. It just seemed peculiar that someone like him had left an impact on her mother's life. For the sparse and far between times he'd stayed with them so far, her father wasn't exactly... memorable. But at length, she decided, "Very well. You will be our knight. You are charged with defending the home and doing whatever you must to keep the ladies happy!" Luka frowned, a new, unwanted thought coming to her. "And you can't share my room!"

Rinza's lips quirked up, teeth showing like a predator. "I wouldn't worry my head about that, my darlin'."

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Results: By some miracle, Daddy gets the Lady's permission to stay in the
Word Count: 989