Rising Shards

It took mountains of paperwork and interviews, and significant help from Emeryn, but I did manage to get custody of Zeta. Every few years, Emeryn checked in on us to make sure everything was going alright.

After a frantic sprint to make the apartment look as clean as it could be, and some hopefully at least decently brewed tea, I was ready as I could possibly be for Emeryn's visit. Zeta steadily moved from sheepishly curious to anxiously concerned the more I cleaned.

Zeta jolted when Emeryn arrived, looking like she just ran into a teacher after forgetting to do her homework.

"Come on in," I said, inviting Emeryn in and taking her coat.

Zeta stood with her hands clasped in front of her. "Um. Hello, Miss Emeryn. I hope all is well."

"Greetings," Emeryn said. "Are you doing alright, Zeta?"

"I'm doing really good, I think," Zeta said. "Like, relatively. There's still bad stuff, but..."

"That's primarily why I wanted to check in," Emeryn said.

I handed Emeryn a cup of tea as Zeta sat across from her, it looked more like she was here to talk to Zeta, but that was due to me zipping around the kitchen trying to get any last minute things our guest might need along with some very last minute tidying moments.

"With your parents being active, I just wanted to check in and see how things are going,"

Zeta and I each gave updates on ourselves, from basic life stuff to Zeta's run-ins with our parents. Emeryn wrote everything she found vital in a notebook.

"Do we need guards or something? Stationed outside the house at all times?" Zeta suggested.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Emeryn said. "But I will be checking in regularly while they're on our radar. You still have complete custody of Zeta, so don't worry about that."

"Do you have any updates on them on your end?" I asked.

"Likely nothing you haven't already heard," Emeryn said. "In spite of its many issues, Rising Shards is one of the safer Cani schools in the area, and even before you told me, I was informed that you've been connected with the River and Lyric troupe."

"Are we that important to have info about us given like that?" Zeta asked.

"No, and I don't mean that as an insult," Emeryn said. "Just...happenings in your case file are relayed to me, and the trio has worked closely with my agency in the past. They are excellent allies to have."

"And they're connected with our family, too," Zeta said. "We found out Tik and our aunt were close! Like, dating close, I think."

Emeryn smiled warmly. "It's a vast world out there, but it's a small one, too."

Emeryn always had brochures on hand, and gave us some about the current situation. She had also brought a small plushie as a gift for Zeta, but noted she was unsure Zeta would want it at her age. Zeta excitedly accepted that gift.

Emeryn stayed for a bit longer, giving me an update on her own family; her eldest daughter just had a child, so she had just become a grandmother. Her work personality was always barely masked, and that mask slipped completely as she showed me pictures of her grandson.

I felt strangely accomplished by the time Emeryn left. It was just a hair before Evy would get home, so I told her she had to stop by again soon to meet her.

While we waited for Evy to get home, I checked in with Zeta to see how she was feeling.

"Well, it's scary, but I like how many people have our backs," Zeta said.

"And Emeryn absolutely has our backs," I said. "I know you're probably sick of me talking about stuff I kept from you, but she's a big reason why I'm your legal guardian after the whole thing with our parents deciding to go void storm riding."

"I kinda pieced that together today," Zeta said. "I keep forgetting about her because it's so long between visits, but when I was a kid I thought she was the one who would decide if we stayed together or not. Kinda scary that I was right about it."

"Kinda," I said. "But I think she made her decision pretty quickly there."

"In my opinion, I think she made the right choice," Zeta said. "And I think you made the right choice, too."

"Thanks," I said, that single word not remotely conveying the gratitude I felt. "Now let me see this plushie, I didn't get a good look at it when she gave it to you."

"Isn't it great timing?" Zeta said. "I've just been starting to collect more plushies again as you know, so..."

Zeta yapped on about her new stuffed toy for a long while, which was a perfect way to spend time waiting for Evy to get home.

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