“Well, at least Ishida ate dinner last night,” Cleo announced as she entered the dining room, holding last night’s empty tray in her hands.

Euden looked up from the papers spread out around him, his gaze hopeful. “Did you see him?”

Cleo shook her head and set the empty tray down on the table. “I didn’t,” she said with a touch of regret. “He didn’t answer the door when I knocked, so I left the tray outside his door.”

“He’ll be fine,” Ranzal declared firmly, reaching over to pick up one of the leftover rolls from breakfast. “Give him a couple days to get used to us.”

Cleo grimaced as Ranzal tore the roll apart and started eating it; how he could still shove more in his mouth after everything he’d put away during breakfast she had no idea, but it was almost horrifying. His manners were even more horrifying, truthfully, but she was trying not to think about that.

“He didn’t eat much at all yesterday, and Urahara said that Ishida would need to eat small, frequent meals for a while,” Euden pointed out with a small frown. “I wish there was something more we could do…”

“I added plenty of snacks to the tray this morning,” Cleo said as she sat down across from Euden and cast a curious look at the papers. “With luck, he’ll take those with him today, even if he decides to hide out again.”

“Good. That’s… that’s good.” Euden sighed and reached up to rub at his face. “Sorry, Cleo. I know you’re doing your best, I just…”

“Worry,” Cleo finished for him with a wry smile. “I know.”

Ranzal snorted and leaned back as he dusted his hands of crumbs. “That kid’ll be fine so long as we don’t hound him. Just act normal.” He paused a moment, considered his words, then huffed and said, “Well, as normal as a bunch like us can be while rattlin’ round a dusty ol’ castle out of myth.”

“You seem quite certain of that,” Cleo couldn’t help but say with a touch of asperity. “Unless I’m mistaken, you only just met him as well!”

Ranzel shrugged and flashed her a sharp grin that hid some emotion that Cleo couldn’t quite pin down. “Ain’t that difficult to figure out,” he told her. “I’ve met a bunch of kids like him durin’ my time as a mercenary. Time, safety, an’ routine’s ‘bout the only thing that’ll help at this stage, especially now that his protector’s off scoutin’ for us.”

“And keeping Midgardsormr away from him until Urahara gets back,” Euden added in exasperation.

Cleo covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at Euden’s expression or at the memory of Midgardsormr’s sheepish apology to them yesterday; no matter how amusing their expressions or postures had been, the situation itself wasn’t funny in the slightest and she needed to remember that.

(But the image of the great Windwyrm with his head ducked and his wings hunched, gaze averted as he solemnly apologized was certainly an image.)

(She just wished it had been over something a little less… important.)

Euden shot her a wan smile in agreement, then reached out to reshuffle some of the papers. “Our guest aside, I wish I could offer any of you something better than just… ‘rattling around in a dusty castle out of myth’. Lingering here wasn’t part of the plan— oof!” He huffed and gave Ranzal an exasperated look, rubbing his side where the tall mercenary had elbowed him. “What was that for?”

Ranzal just arched an eyebrow and said, “Plans change, an’ most campaigns are more boredom an’ waiting than anything. Urahara had the right idea to be a scout, so give the guy time to do his job.”

Cleo frowned at the disgruntled look that crossed Euden’s face and considered what she could do or offer that would help; Euden hadn’t quite seemed interested when Zethia had proposed exploring the castle grounds, there wasn’t much to do inside the castle, and they really shouldn’t—

“C’mon, up ya come,” Ranzal declared as he stood and hooked a hand under Euden’s arm, practically dragging the younger, smaller man out of his seat. “Yer broodin’.”

“Ranzal!”

Ranzal snorted and gestured for Cleo to follow. “You, me, and Cleo are gunna go take a gander at the forest around us. Maybe find us some fiends so ya can work out that restlessness of yours.”

“There aren’t many fiends in the forest,” Cleo protested, though she still sped her steps to catch up to Ranzal — the man was unfairly tall and had a stride to match! — so that she wasn’t left behind. She wasn’t about to let his descendant go out into danger without a healer, even if she didn’t hold a candle to Zethia’s healing abilities.

(She’d just have to get stronger, have to get better, so that Euden never regretted letting her stay.)

(She could do that.)

“It’ll be good practice, then,” Ranzal declared firmly. “We get some practice in, get to know each other, an’ make the area safer. Win-win-win, in my opinion.”

“We should ask Zethia and Elisanne to help us,” Euden said as he finally got his feet under him properly and slipped out of Ranzal’s grip. “Or at least let them know what we’re doing before we leave.”

Ranzal chuckled a bit and nodded towards the small side-door that they were approaching. “Why d’ya think I brought us this way?” he asked while shoving the door open and stepping out. “Yer sister said this was the way they were goin’ this mornin’.”

“Oh,” Euden murmured as he followed, pausing long enough to hold the door for Cleo and then closing it behind her. “Midgardsormr says they’re still over here,” he added, gaze going slightly distant as he conversed with the Windwyrm. “By the… what even were those buildings? They look so weird.”

Cleo bit back a laugh at Euden’s expression and said, “You’ll have to be a bit more descriptive than that, I’m afraid. The Halidom had many buildings within its walls during Alberius’ time, though time and neglect have turned many to ruin.” Despite the spell cast over the forest and castle, and despite her best effort to maintain the grounds; the Halidom was simply far too large for a single person to maintain, and she’d long ago given up the effort to upkeep all but the areas she personally needed.

(Maybe now that could finally be remedied.)

(Maybe the Halidom could once more live—)

(No, she shouldn’t get her hopes up.)

“Uh… Midgardsormr says they’re near the ‘flame altar’? It’s a large pillar with an orb floating atop it?” Euden tried, sketching the basic shape in the air as he spoke. “I’ve never heard of a ‘flame altar’ before, what is it supposed to be?”

“It was one of the experimental designs that got put here,” Cleo explained as she darted ahead of Ranzal and off through the overgrown paths, knowing exactly where she needed to go. “I don’t remember how it was supposed to work, but it was supposed to make people with fire affinities stronger.”

Ranzal made an interested noise and asked, “Did it work?”

“I… I don’t remember, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Euden told her quickly. “We’ll just have to try it out and see.”

Cleo gave him a tiny, brittle smile and nodded her thanks; she’d lost so many memories over the decades, so much that she hadn’t even realized she was losing, and discovering that felt like her heart was being ripped out all over again. It made her want to retreat to safety, to focus, to fixate on what she could and couldn’t remember, but—

But she couldn’t.

Not now, and not any time in the near future.

She had people relying on her again, people who needed her again, and she wasn’t going to let them down.

(Never again.)

(Never.)