A Small Wish

After arranging things for tomorrow with Philio Lankard, I returned to the castle.
Speaking of tomorrow, the princess becomes Queen pretty soon, huh? That's what I try to focus on as I fall asleep.
It all feels a bit too fast for me, but I haven't been involved in any of the discussions aside from...
Whatever. While I was exploring Yve, however, I overheard people talking about "the new Queen" several times. It seems that, to them, Feana's return was enough to confirm her ascension to the throne as inevitable. It makes me wonder what the reaction to her death would've been like if Flionel's plans had succeeded, not that I'd have been alive to know.

They plan to make a show of the Queen's coronation, that much I do know. There are also plans to reveal Eraidus's part in brewing conflict between Yve and Lann, though Feana wishes to discuss that with Vio first. He, being King of the port closest to the Eraiden city of the west—Vain—would be most affected by it.

That being said, Yve and Lann are technically at war, and neither Feana nor Vio have approached one another yet, so I don't know when that discussion will happen.
Tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that...

◇ ◇ ◇

When I wake up the next morning, I get ready for the day, then prepare to meet up with Lankard. On the way, I take a brief moment to listen in on a neighbouring room.
Okay, they're awake. That's perfect. I'll ask Ms. Tsa to tell Aida to meet me in the hall, then I'll step outside.

"Meeting... a friend?"
"Yes. I want to get Aida's opinion on him."
"...understood. I shall ask when I visit Kaina."
"Thank you, as always."

Ms. Tsa has been stopping in to say hello to Kaina each morning. She's staying in one of the nearby rooms for now. It's guarded, for obvious reasons, but her brother is staying in the same room, so it's better than being trapped alone in a jail cell.

The result of our decision to project memories of her family life... well, it's a bit hard to explain. In simple terms, she's probably not as much of a danger to society as she was before. Probably...
In another sense, you could say it's unlikely that she'll ever interact with society again. It won't happen in the short term, that's for sure. Not here. Not in Yve.

I'm told that, in some ways, she has regressed mentally, but it's arguable that such regression is a benefit. She was forced to take on more responsibility than a child her age should have, and as a consequence of that, her fairy had separated from her palm almost 10 years too early.
I wouldn't be able to tell if that's true, even if I could go and visit her, but I can believe it. I imagine it's a sign of deep stress, like when a bird begins to pluck its own wings.

But now, her fairy is back where it belongs. Kaina's a child again, it's just... she's a few years older in body than mind. I do worry what that'll do for her future; will she mature linearly from here, always a few years behind her physical age? That'd probably be the best outcome I can ask for, so I'll hope for that to be the case.

The real worry is... she's quite fragile, understandably so. Aida being around her is fine, and she can handle Ms. Tsa's presence as well, but if anyone else enters the room, Kaina responds as if a monster is closing in on her. Both I and a maid had the heartbreaking experience of discovering this first-hand, so to ensure Kaina's comfort, we're not letting anyone visit her. No one except for her brother and Ms. Tsa, that is.
However, when I got talking with Philio Lankard, I had a thought...

I have light hair and blue eyes.
The maid had light hair and blue eyes.
Flionel, Kaina's captor, had light hair and blue eyes.

The reality is, most people in Yve have light hair. Eye colours range from blue to brown to red, with the princess—sorry—Feana, having red eyes. What I'm trying to say is, at a glance, everyone looks quite similar here.

But Aida has black hair. Ms. Tsa has black hair.
Philio Lankard, too, has black hair.

It's possible that what Kaina fears is not other people in general, but the people of Yve. That's why, before bidding farewell to Lankard yesterday, I brought this up to him.

"I see... She must've been through some terrible things, it seems."
"I can't tell you the specifics, but... It's a miracle she's made it this far."
"And you believe that I'm the right person for this?"
"Do you think she'll be scared of you, too? I can understand not wanting to risk that..."
"I've been witness to the resilience of the Larilan mind. I don't believe I'm capable of shattering that resilience, not that I'd ever wish to."
"So...?"
"If you believe in me, dear reader, I will simply have to believe in myself!"

It was a relief to hear him accept, but I felt the need to clarify one thing....
"There is one problem," I reveal. "She only understands Eraidian."
"Oh! That shant be a problem my boy!" He hits me with a counter-reveal. "I'm more than proficient in Eraiden speech."
"Wait, really?" For some reason, I got the impression that he only spoke universal. Maybe 'cause it's all I've heard him talk in until now.

"If I'm to enjoy all the wonders Larila can offer, how could I not learn all of Larila's languages?"
"Learning all of them is a bit much..."
"Non non. To refuse all is to accept nothing!"

He's a bit extreme, for sure, but he is a writer of stories, and kids love stories.
Philio Lankard, I'm aware, loves his readers.
I believe this will work.

◇ ◇ ◇

"It's my utmost pleasure to meet you, my boy!" Lankard bows with a flourish, speaking with just as infuriating a tone in Eraidian as he does when speaking in universal language.
"I'm Aida." The young boy's response, in comparison, is staggeringly more function over flourish.
"What do you think?" I ask him. "He has black hair. He wears funny clothing. Perfect, right?"
"Perfect...?" Aida questions my choice of words, but gives a favourable response regardless. "We may as well try."

To the room, we walk. Ms. Tsa is inside to give Kaina some reassurance. Her brother heads in first to introduce one of Philio Lankard's books, one that's popular with kids, if Lankard's own words are to be believed.
Sadly, I can't be involved in this any further, so I make sure to stay back a fair distance from the door when Lankard's time to enter arrives.
...I don't hear any crying through the walls, so that's a good sign. From here, we depend on Lankard's empathy and fate's judgment.

◇ ◇ ◇

A boy steps out of the room, the words "yup, yup, I'll get your favourite" leaving his lips with a laugh.
He looks over to me with a slight smile. "I've been sent to get drinks."
Despite my studies, I still can't carry an in-depth conversation in Eraidian, so I use short prompts to respond as Aida explains the situation to me.

Apparently, Lankard is quite a gentleman. He kept a distance, humoured some questions about fantastical creatures and ancient castles, and slowly came to embody the wonder of stories that all children admire.
Aida described him as an 'Aavsiter'—a dream.

I'm very surprised it's gone so well. I picked Lankard solely because he's the only black-haired guy I've met since coming to Yve, but a goofball like that must be more endearing to kids than adults.
I think back to watching TV as a kid. The hosts of the shows I liked must've been the same way: a bit too over the top, a bit too excitable, and a bit too easy to read.
I'd call it "performative honesty", but I get the feeling that Lankard is just being himself. When we first met, and he assumed I was a fan of his, he practically became a fan of me in return. He's a bit like a pet dog, now that I think about it...

Whatever the case, I'm glad things have worked out so well.
I help Aida communicate with a maid to ask for the right kinds of drinks, and then I leave him to his happy family time.
I'm sure Lankard will somehow find me whenever he's ready to leave.

Hmm... Ms. Tsa will probably end up spending more time in there than she planned. I sprung this on her without warning, didn't I? I hope she doesn't have any duties to attend to...
I should go check in with Feana, if only to catch her up on what's happening.