After the horn had sounded outside, the Veyne house turned into a place of quick movement. Everyone reacted in their own way. Footsteps moved upstairs and downstairs. Drawers opened and closed. The tension from the earlier argument with Elara still hung in the air, but the continuous sound outside pushed everything else aside.
Elara came out of the washroom carrying a clean bathrobe she had prepared for Tresta. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the soft fabric folded over her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw Lys coming down.
He had changed into his adventurer gear. His sword hung at his side, and his boots were already laced tight. He looked like moving with clear purpose, each step steady on the wooden stairs as he was coming down.
"Lys," Elara said, her voice sharp. She stepped forward to block the bottom of the stairs. "Where do you think you are going?"
Lys stopped on the last step. "Outside, Mom. People might need help right now."
Elara's grip tightened on the bathrobe. "And what help do you think you can provide? Your body was still bedridden just yesterday. You barely stood without help back then."
Lys stepped down fully and moved to go around her. "I'm well now, Mom. I thought I made myself clear earlier in the morning."
Elara turned with him, not letting him pass easily. "And how do you expect me to believe that just by that? You were flat on your back yesterday. And now you want to run out and fight dungeon monsters? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Lys felt the pressure of time. Sounds from outside grew louder: people running in the street, distant shouts, another horn blast. He thought for a second about using his persuasion skill to calm her down and make her listen. But he pushed the idea away immediately.
No matter how urgent things were, he would not do that to his own mother.
Before he could find the right words, footsteps came from behind him on the stairs. Selene walked down. She wore her full priestess gear. The robes fit properly, and she held a large wand in one hand. She looked calm and ready, much more composed than Lys felt.
Both Lys and Elara stared at her in awe.
Selene stopped beside Lys and looked straight at Elara. "Mother, you don't have to worry about him. I'm going with him this time."
Elara might have smiled at the word "Mother" coming out of Selene in any other situation. Now she just looked between them, surprise clear on her face.
Lys turned to Selene fast. "What are you doing? You haven't even finished your studies yet. This is too dangerous."
Selene kept her eyes on Elara. "So what? You aren't fully well enough to fight either. I know I can't stop you from going. But if I go with you, I can pull you back when it matters. I can heal you if something happens. You can also think of it as my training."
Lys opened his mouth to argue more, but Elara spoke first. Her shoulders dropped a little. "Okay, you can go."
Both Lys and Selene looked at her in surprise.
Elara took a slow breath and spoke again, "Both of you come back safely, okay? That's all I ask."
Lys closed his mouth from saying anything, as saying anything was not even needed now. That was not what he expected to hear, but he'll take the win however he gets.
He nodded quickly. "We will, Mom."
Selene nodded too. "Yes, we will come back safely, Mother. Don't worry."
They turned toward the door together. Lys reached for the handle and pulled it open. They almost walked straight into Helga, who was coming in at the same moment. All three of them stopped short.
Helga's eyes went wide when she saw Selene in full gear. She looked at her, then at Lys. "Did Mitsu come back inside?"
Lys answered fast. "Yeah, she's here. She's safe."
Helga nodded once and took a relieved breath, and then looked back at Selene. "And Lady Selene, where do you think you're going with full gear?"
Selene answered without hesitation. "It's fine, Helga. Lys is with me. I won't do anything stupid. He'll be there to make sure of it."
Lys looked at Selene's face. She did not look back at him. Her voice sounded so steady and innocent, even though she was just spouting the same bullshit to Helga that she used to convince Elara inside, too. With her own modifications, of course. This time, it was Lys who would stop her from being reckless.
Helga studied them for a second longer. Then she stepped aside. "Okay. Come back safely. And don't go back outside the walls."
Selene beamed with happiness and hugged Helga tightly before releasing her. "Okay."
Lys stared at Helga, with astonishment that in just two minutes, Selene had handled both his mother and Helga with almost the same words, but twisted in ways that worked perfectly for each person.
He wondered if his persuasion skill would have worked as cleanly as that. He was not sure if it would.
-----
They stepped out onto the street. The village felt different now. People moved quickly in small groups. Some carried supplies toward the little church they had in this village. Others stood near their doors, looking worried. All while the horn was sounding again and again in the distance.
Once they were a little away from the house, Lys glanced at Selene. "And? What exactly was that back there? Who is going to hold who back now?"
Selene turned her head and smiled at him. The smile reached her eyes despite everything happening around them. "You hold me back when I get too reckless with my healing, and I hold you back when you try to play hero alone. Simple as that. Now stop talking and let's quickly get out of here before Mom changes her mind and drags us back inside."
Lys let out a short breath that was almost a laugh and walked forward together into the changed village, side by side.