Aegis Eater

Homegrown

"Boy, what has happened to you?" Corrine asked, brushing Rex's open shirt aside to get a better view of the Core Crystal and scar. "Why is there a Core Crystal in your chest? Where did this scar come from?"

"It's a... long story. But one I'm more than willing to share..." Rex looked around at all the kids still swarmed around him. "Somewhere a bit more quiet."

"Well, you know you're always welcome. And all your friends are too. All of you come, please." Corrine welcomed, turning and walking back to the house. Rex trotted after her as everyone followed, gently weaving through the crowd of children as they all stared in awe at the newcomers. Adult villagers watched cautiously from nearby as they followed Corinne to her home.

"Pretty silent reception, huh?" Nia muttered.

"I'd garner that they're wary of us. Me especially, I'd imagine." Morag muttered.

"A quiet place like this probably isn't used to the Special Inquistor showing up out of the blue." Brighid said. "I'd imagine they're just nervous, but they'll calm down after a while."

Corrine opened the door to her rather well sized home. Easily the largest in the town. It was no mansion, but it was an impressive size nonetheless. "You're all just in time for dinner!"

"Are you sure there will be enough? There's no way you could've known we were coming, right?" Nia asked.

"Oh trust me, you don't have to worry about that. Rex, dear, would you help me?"

"Course I will. Go take a seat, guys." Rex said, motioning to the large dining table with his hand.

"What the hell... this table's massive." Nia muttered under her breath.

"It's almost as big as the one in the throne room..." Brighid whispered to Morag, who gave a single nod in response.

"Miss Corrine, if you don't mind me asking..." Morag said to the elderly woman, who turned with a smile. "This table is... unusually large. Why is it so long?"

"Oh! He never told you guys? I run an orphanage in town. Lot of kids to feed, so I need somewhere for them to sit. I can hardly make them just sit on the floor now can I?"

"I suppose not. Thank you, for answering, ma'am."

"Oh drop the formalities, Special Inquistor." Corrine said, warmly smiling at the younger woman. "I get that this is probably very different from how it's done in Mor Ardain."

"Well, I suppose. There certainly are orphanages in Alba Cavanich, but they usually just house the kids until they find a foster home. This is... very different to how I'm used to it being." Morag said.

"That's the beauty of this place. As long as it's done in good faith, anything goes! This boy..." Corinne said, pinching Rex's cheek. "Really knew how to take advantage of that as a kid. He was the first orphan I ever took in, and he was a little prankster." The woman said, still gripping Rex's cheek. She was completely unfazed by the boy's squirming as she recounted her memories. "He'd arm himself with water balloons and chuck them at the laundry I've hung out to dry, he'd give me heart attacks by diving into the Cloud Sea and then pretending he had drowned by floating limply up to the surface, I'd wake up to find toilet paper strewn all over my room, and every single time after I had been made the butt of a harmless little joke, he'd hysterically laugh his little tush off and then immediately help me clean up his mess or apologize for scaring me, and every single time he tried to make it up to me, he'd run to his little hideout and bring me back one of the little trinkets he'd find washed up on the shore." Corrine let go of Rex's cheek, switching to patting the boy's head and ruffling his hair. "Even when he was being a little devil child, he was still a sweetheart."