Nathan was seated across from a waif of a woman. Her skin had paled since the last time he saw her, and her hair seemed frizzy and unkempt. Deep eyebags seemed to rest on her face and Nathan couldn't help but wonder how she'd survived as long as she had.

  Who was he talking about?

  He was talking about his sister, Sarah.

  Emi leaned in slowly, her voice dropped to a low whisper. "She kind of looks like a mess."

  Nathan twisted his lips into a frown before it reset to a neutral expression.

  "Hey, how's it been?" he asked.

  Her mouth opened and voice came out as more of a wheeze. "Terrible."

  "You wanna tell me about it?"

  She took a few deep breaths, then dug her hands into her hair.

  "Right after you left me alone on that island, it finally hit me that I didn't have a way off."

  "What?" Nathan blinked. "You didn't have a way to fly?"

  "None. I was lucky enough to have water, but the only source of food was in that lake, and I managed to completely exhaust it after only a few days."

  Nathan grimaced. He really didn't like where this was going. "What did you eat?"

  "Birds. But they caught on and left the area."

  Nathan really didn't like where this was going.

  "So you were starving for… like, weeks?"

  "Pretty much." Her eyes seeemd to widen, her pupils shrinked to tiny dots. "And then once I got here, I thought I smelled food, and I was so excited that I chased after it on the spot."

  "…but?"

  "It turned out to be some sort of monster—" She coughed, the sound weak and pained. "—I won, but it wasn't a smooth win, ha…"

  "…you want something to eat?"

  Her back stiffened.

  "Are you sure?" she said.

  "Of course. Jeez, what do you take me for? You sseriously think I'd just let my older sister starve to death?"

  She looked away from him and at a spot on the wall.

  "After what I said to you, I thought—never mind. It's nothing."

  "You thought I'd hold that against you?" Nathan shoved her shoulder, a small smile on his face. "You needed time. I understood that."

  Sarah pursed her lips. Nathan reached into his inventory. Last time he'd been in town he'd picked up some bread from bakery on his way in.

  He pulled out the golden-colored baked good. The smell immediately hit everyone, freshly cooked and still warm.

  Drool dripped from Sarah's lips and her vision locked onto the bread like a cat on a laser pointer. Her hands darted out and wrapped around the bread and snatched it out of Nathan's hands. She devoured it wholesale, more trying to pass it directly into her stomach rather than actually chew.

  Bjorn grunted, causing Nathan to look over at him curiously.

  "Your sister," he said. "She would make a fine wife."

  Nathan's expression went deadpan. "You're not dating my sister."

  "Technically, she's an orc by the old rights."

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  "Bjorn, I will turn you into a pie."

  He stopped talking.

  Nathan felt a tap on his shoulder. He faced back to Sarah to see that she'd inched right next to him, here eyes wide open in a pleading expression.

  "More?"

  Nathan chuckled under his breath. "Sure."

  He reached back into his inventory and pulled out an assortment of foods. Hot meals, cooked to perfection. Fish, meat…

  As he watched Sarah salivate, he idly hoped that she wouldn't overeat and get sick.

  After several minutes of eating, Sarah leaned back in her seated position on the ground and patted her stomach.

  "You have no idea how great that was." She looked at Nathan and shot him a smile, full and cheery. "Thanks, little brother."

  For a moment, Nathan paused. It'd been a long, long time since she'd made that expression. In her short meetings with him prior, there was a tinge of melancholy that had tinged her every expression. That made sense, of course. She was dealing with the fact that her ex-husband/fianceé was a megamaniacal psychopath, that would put a downer on most things.

  But now, her smile was completely pure. It looked like all that time alone really had done her some good.

  …and the starvation, Nathan supposed.

  "So, what now?" Nathan asked. "Are you finally coming back with me?"

  Sarah froze, her expression turning brittle.

  "Nathan, I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

  Time seemed to stop for Nathan as he quickly ran through his options.

  He'd spent a lot of time thinking about Sarah and what he would say to her if he got this opportunity. After his complete failure last time, he knew he had to do better. What was the point in being some kind of hero if he couldn't even save the ones closest to him?

  "I'm not saying that you join me permanently or anything," he said.

  She blinked, the brittle smile disappearing. "What?"

  "Yeah, I just wanted you to take a rest, you know?" Nathan asked. "You seem really exhausted. Would a few days to recuperate really be that bad?"

  Sarah bit her bottom lip. "I don't know, Nathan."

  "Look, it really wouldn't be permanent—"

  "You say that, but I can tell that's not what you actually want."

  Nathan didn't say anything before he clicked his tongue. "How could you tell?"

  "I'm your older sister, you goofball." She poked his nose, causing his features to wrinkle together in annoyance. "I know these things."

  This was rapidly heading for a repeat of their last encounter. An encounter that had ended in enormous failure for Nathan.

  A strange tension seemed to wrap around his heart like a snake. He felt the fight drain out of him—

  "Um, miss—Sarah, wasn't it?"

  The sound of a sweet voice, different from Sarah's. Nathan looked back.

  Emi had stepped forward and kneeled down to face Sarah head on.

  "My name is Eminia Laplanta." She hesitated, then grinned. "But you can call me Emi."

  Sarah stared at her in surprise, then nodded. "Hi, Emi. I remember you from before. We didn't have a chance to talk."

  "Last time, I thought it would be better if things were private," Emi said. "But seeing the way this is going, I decided that I should step in."

  At the mention of privacy, Nathan furrowed his eyebrows together. She was right, it was a little rude for them to be hovering, much less for her to barge in and get into family business like this.

  Based off the look on Sarah's face, she agreed with him. But before either of them could speak, Emi rushed out her words ahead of them.

  "I've been traveling with your brother for a while now," she said. "Across two different circles."

  "Is that so?"

  Sarah's tone was neutral. There was a slight frown, almost undetectable to anyone except Nathan.

  "I saw him back when he was still pretty new to all of this, back when we were equals. And now, I've seen him after he's matured into… well, into a hero. Someone who saved me."

  Nathan resisted the urge to fidget. Where was this going?

  "I've noticed that he's always had this weariness about him," Emi said. "But just now, with you, he smiled."

  "Is that so rare?"

  "Yes."

  Nathan snorted. "Come on. I smile—"

  "Not like that," Emi shook her head. "You were really happy. And I think it's because… she was happy, right?"

  Huh.

  Nathan turned silent.

  Emi stood up and bowed toward Sarah.

  "Please, if just for a little while, do you think you could accompany us? If not for yourself, then for your brother, and for all of us who care about him?"

  Nathan wouldn't have ever thought of that. Of course Sarah would never come along for her own health. But for his sake?

  He felt guilty, using her emotions like this, but if it helped her, he could swallow down his conscience.

  Sarah looked at Emi and scratched the back of her head in the same way Nathan often did.

  "I can't really deny that, can I?" she said. She sighed and stood to her feet. Emi grinned and unbowed her body.

  Nathan's jaw dropped before he quickly pulled himself up. Had she really just…?

  Sarah looked at Nathan.

  "It looks like your big sister is finally going to do her job," she said. "Take care of me, yeah?"

  Nathan found his lips stretching into a wide grin against his will—

  A voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.

  "NATHAN, WHERE WERE YOU!?"

  The walls erupted with roots. Vines and wood growth sprouted out from every direction, the ground, the roof. Sarah pulled her rapier out of her inventory. Emi grimaced and readied her staff. Bjorn, who'd been quiet up to now, grabbed a massive warhammer.

  and Nathan remembered that he'd kind of sort of forgotten about someone.

  "Settle down everyone," he said. "It's just Lily."

  Emi made an 'oh' shape with her mouth and lowered her weapon. Bjorn and Sarah did the same, though there was a clear look of confusion on both their faces.

  …how was he supposed to explain to his older sister that his arm was sentient…?

  And had fallen off his shoulder?

  …but it had regrown…?

  Nathan got ready for the first of what he was sure would be many awkward conversations.