Around an hour later, Ethan found himself sitting on the bed with Raven sat in his lap holding a picture book. After dressing in some old fashioned brown slacks, a tan dress shirt and fancy brown jacket, he was dragged to the bed so Raven could show off her books to him.
For the last 15 minutes, Raven was happily, though struggling, reading the words in the book to him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd sat down like this with his own children since they'd long outgrown this practice.
"Here...knight! Strong...shiny sword...wanna try!" Raven pointed at the picture of a knight in shining armor marching off to the castle on his mission to save the princess. Though it was a classic trope, it was endearing to see Raven so excited about it.
"You wanna be a knight then?" Ethan asked with a warm chuckle.
"Yeah! But sword...ugly. Arrow cooler...fly and hit." Raven giggled as she brought her hands up to pull an invisible bow string.
"Oh? Why not learn both then? You can use your bow from far away, then use your sword and shield if the bad guys get close." Ethan chuckled softly as he pointed out both the bow and weapon pair on the two pages.
"Mmm, true. But spear...like Choo...Choo Soo-Ji!" Raven giggled as she turned a few of the pages to show a large battle scene. She then pointed at the footsoldiers holding spears aimed towards a charging enemy.
"Choo Soo-Ji? Who's that?" Ethan asked as he cocked his brow.
"Movie...spear user...here." Raven started as she pulled her phone back up and tapped the screen a few times. After a few moments of waiting, he saw a video start to play titled 'The Great Battle'.
From the starring sequences, he could tell it was a Korean film that wasn't to old, but it wasn't something he would watch normally. It was amazing to know that a 9 year old girl (asked after he'd finally dressed up) was watching films in other languages already.
Before they could start watching the movie, a knock was suddenly heard at the door that made Raven jump a bit. He rubbed her back as she cowered into his chest, making him give her a warm smile instinctively. "It seems my friends have arrived, Raven. Can I let them in?"
Raven slowly pulled away from his chest and gave a meek nod. After she left his lap, Ethan stood up and rubbed her head gently before walking to the door. "Pause the movie for now, we can watch it later, okay?"
Seeing her bright smile made him chuckle softly. He felt a warmth in watching her reactions to every little thing. It was refreshing, given the world he lived in normally. Straighting his jacket, he gave a soft sigh and reached for the doorknob.
As his usual habit, he sent his Mana out to observe those on the otherside. After his Mana clashed with a familiar wavelength, he opened the door a little to peek at those that stood waiting for him.
In the small hallway were 4 people, all dressed up like they were going for a meeting. In the front was a beautiful woman dressed up in a formal black dress and a black jacket to match. Her hair was a deep brown and fell straight and gently down her left shoulder. It was a good thing she wasn't wearing make-up, as her tears would've long since smeared it all over her fair cheeks and thin lips. Though surrounded in grieving red, her blue eyes peered at him in pure joy at finally seeing his face.
Just behind her was a child no more than 14 years old dressed similarly to the woman. Though her green eyes were also red, there wasn't a single tear on her rosey cheeks that gave away how mad and happy she was. Her hair was a lighter brown and curled towards the ends of her ponytail.
Behind them were a blonde female that one would think belonged to a children's clinic. Her white doctors robe was her natural look, suiting the soft medical aura she had around herself. Next to her was an older man that was greying at the roots of his black hair. He had a full white beard that as neatly trimmed around his wrinkled, almost Santa looking face.
He was happy to see this couple in particular, as they had the most history in dealing with the problem children in the Guild, as well as the orphans that would be treated by the Guild occasionally.
Looking back to check on Raven, Ethan smiled softly and slipped through the door before closing it slowly behind him. The woman in the front immediately wrapped her arms around his chest as soon as the door closed, sobbing into his chest and gripping his jacket.
"By Elthain, you're really alive." Though she wanted to scream out, she kept it together enough to not scare the child she'd heard about.
"Sarah, Lilly, I'm so happy to see you two." Ethan sobbed a little as he clutched his wife as tight as he could. He thought last night was the last time he would ever see them, causing his tears to fall as soon as he felt Sarah's arms around him.
Lilly sniffled a bit as she hugged both Sarah and Ethan, pressing her face against his side and nudging him a little. "Don't s-scare us like that, Dad!"
The two in the back couldn't help but sniffle a little at the sight. As the woman rubbed a few tears away, the man pulled his hankerchief out and offered it to her with a warm smile. She mouthed a thank you and took it quickly to wipe away the excess.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that the group finally let each other go. As Sarah couldn't stop crying, Ethan used his sleeve to wipe her tears away with a chuckle. "God's, it's so good to see you two."
"What happened, Dad? I thought it was supposed to be a fair duel!" Lilly complained as she gripped Ethan's hand.
"The rest of the Saber Guild doesn't see it that way, I didn't think they would stoop so low either. If it wasn't for that child in there, I wouldn't be standing here at all." Ethan sighed softly as he gripped Lilly's hand gently to reassure her.
"I've sent a formal complaint already. As soon as Drew wakes up, I'm going to give him an earful." Sarah grumbled through her sniffles and finally dried the last of her tears.
"Just try not to kill him, he's already got it rough with those young ones running amok." Ethan sighed softly as he shook his head. He couldn't contain his bright smile, even as he nodded to the couple behind his wife. "Cassandra, John, I'm glad you two are here as well."
"Of course sir, though I must ask that we speed this up. I'm sure that child is hungry." Cassandra giggled softly as she pocketed the hankerchief.
"Got enough here for 10, even have some sodas our grandkids enjoy as well." John chuckled as he lifted the large bags he held in his left hand.
"Mmm, I'm sure she'll gulp it down faster than she can chew." Ethan nodded as he looked at the bags.
"Ethan, be honest, how is this child?" Sarah asked as she looked at the door behind him.
Ethan sighed softly as he lifted his hands to his stomach and looked down. On que, Sarah gently held his hands and bit her lip, already feeling the water works start again.
It wasn't until Lilly tugged on his jacket did Ethan finally start speaking. "As far as I know, she's been alone for roughly 5 years. Her faster Passed, so he was a Guided as well. I'm not sure about her mother, but this child hasn't had anyone else. She's well versed in manipulating Mana, as evident by her healing my wounds so well. She's malnourished, hasn't spoken a word for God's know how long until an hour ago. My best guess, her father told her to be wary if using her powers around outsiders, making her lock herself away."
A deafening silence fell on the group as Ethan finished. They all felt a pain in their heart in hearing about the girl in the next room. It was one thing for a child to be alone, but for her to offer help when she was probably terrified, that pained them so much more as fellow Guided.
"Will she be alright? You know, with us coming in?" Lilly asked as she looked at the door.
"She's already agreed, just be mindful of what you see and touch. It seems the books in there are of more importance to her than her own well being. Before you touch something, be sure to ask her." Ethan sighed softly and kissed Sarah's forehead. "Try not to overreact either. She didn't seem to keen on the idea of me bringing in others."
After getting a nod from everyone, Ethan slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside. "Raven, we are coming in. Are you ready?"
After a long silence, they heard the soft sound of rustling cloth followed by a quiet voice. "Y-yes..."
After nodding back to the group, Ethan opened the door and slowly walked inside. The others awed at the amount of books lined against the walls. The smell alone suggested it was a researchers abode, but the sight showed deep signs of child-like innocence that were clearly taking over.
When the group was close to the bed, Ethan held a hand up to stop them before he continued to the bed to Raven's form huddled in a mountain of blankets.
"It's okay Raven, these people are my family and friends." Ethan spoke softly as he kneeled next to the bed.
Sarah let out a soft gasp as Raven finally poked her matted black hair out of the pile to peek at them. Her ruby eyes seemed to look right through them in a deep distrust, only softening when she looked at Ethan.
"Let me introduce them first, then we can eat. This woman here is my wife, Sarah. Next to her is Lilly, my daughter. She's about 6 years older than you. Behind them are Mister John Earnheart and his wife Cassandra." Ethan spoke softly as he gestured to each individual. Warm smiles were given as their names were mentioned, save for Sarah who held her hand over her mouth and was already on the verge of tears.
"Cassandra here is a doctor, like you. I was hoping you would let her check up on you after you eat. Is that alright?" Ethan asked as he offered his hand to Raven.
The girl took his hand gently, but her gaze seemed locked on Lilly in a mixture of awe and confusion. "No...sharp things. Pain...no want."
"It's alright, she's going to check up on you the same way you healed me. Remember how you mixed your Mana with mine?" Ethan asked as he stood up to sit on the bed next to Raven.
She nodded a little as she looked at Cassandra. After a minute of hesitation, she crawled out of the blankets and sat back in Ethans lap with her head tucked into his chest. "No pain, is fine."
"Before that, why don't we fill that little belly up with some tasty food!" John chirped as he held up the bags of food.
The smell had already made Raven's stomach rumble loud enough for everyone to hear, but to know that she could have some made her look at the bags with a bright smile with a bit of drool falling down the corner of her mouth.
She swallowed hard and shook her head to contain herself. Instead, she looked up at Ethan and gripped the front of his shirt, as if asking if it was alright.
He chuckled softly and nodded as he rubbed the top of her head. After nodding to John, Raven watched the other man walked up slowly to set one of the bags next to her on the bed. The sound of ice rolling around was almost drowned out by the crinkling of the plastic bag, but it didn't go unnoticed by the child's ears.
After turning herself around on Ethan's lap, she reached into the bag quickly to grab the cup of soda and look at it. "Bubbles...how?" She asked as she looked up at Ethan.
Sarah had to turn away as she heard this question. As John gently pat her back, Ethan explained it for her with a warm smile. "It's called Soda. Drinks like this often come from places that make food like the fried chicken you asked for." As Ethan spoke, he reached into the bag and pulled out the straw to offer to Raven. "Tear the paper off this straw and stick it into this weird looking thing at the top."
Raven followed his words meekly, using both hands to tear the paper off. Ethan barely caught the cup before it tipped over, feeling a chill run down his spine at the thought of the childs reaction if any went to waste. Though she struggled a bit, Raven finally managed the straw in and pushed it straight down before tilting her head. After looking up at Ethan, she leaned in and sucked on the straw a little until the liquid reached her mouth.
Her immediate reaction was to hold her hands over her mouth and kick her feet. Her face then lit up as she finally tasted the sweetness of the soda over the harsh popping that assaulted her tongue. Reaching for the cup, she started to gulp down the drink until she found herself coughing from drinking to fast.
A chuckle left Ethan's lips as he pat Raven's back, causing her to burp loudly and cover her mouth quickly. Her face got hot and her eyes went wide in surprise. Looking up at Ethan, she pointed to the drink with a bright smile.
"Pop...and sweet...it's good!"
"I'm glad you like it, just drink it slowly. You'll get a stomach ache if you drink that to fast." Ethan chuckled softly as he reached into the bag to pull out a drumstick and offer it to the wide-eyed child.
Seeing the food, she immediately grabbed it and took a big bite. Finding the bone, she let out a yelp and dropped the chicken in her lap to hold her mouth again. "Chicken...hurt..."
A few chuckles erupted in the room at the silliness of the child. Though she was embarrassed, she giggled along with the others.
"Alright everyone, let's help Raven finish this food." Ethan chuckled as he picked up the chicken and peeled the flesh from the bone so Raven could eat without worry.