The following morning both Daniel and I got up early, deciding to make a nice breakfast that could be eaten upstairs as to include our new resident. With how gaunt she was I wondered when might she have eaten last, our assembling plates of eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit as my mind drifted through my thoughts. It was hard not to wonder about those things with only little tidbits of a story and such a condition on our hands.

"She'll be alright," Daniel quietly reassured me as we both topped some plates.

"S-Sorry, I just--"

"Don't apologize for caring, Reverend," he cut in. "We both know it ain't permanent, but it'll be a while before it completely clears up. Just gotta be patient."

I turned my head to look down to the plate in front of me, my motions slowing to a halt. He seemed to take notice, his own actions slowing and head turning to face me.

"Does it...bother you?" I slowly choked out.

"Hm?"

"...Dealing with...this condition," I continued.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand," he replied. "Reverend, much of what led me to this profession was to help the corrupted, starting way back at home. The only thing about it that bothers me is that it happens to people at all. Most of the time it's an outcome of horrible situations and not something people do to themselves."

I wasn't sure how to respond.

"...Do you think I see you or others who've gone through that condition differently?" he asked in turn, tilting his head.

I rubbed my arm, trying not to dig my nails into my skin.

"...Daniel, please understand that this condition, even if recovered...tends to follow you in other ways," I whispered. "Sh...Should anyone know you had it, even years ago, you'd be marked a pariah. P-People will avoid you, fear you, and...often the cycle will repeat itself. Th-There's a reason I don't want people knowing my name-- I d-don't want to be recognized, lest years of hard work be undone."

He took a step closer and put his arm around my back, gently coaxing me into his side.

"...I-I'm sure it's tiresome and repetitive, these concerns, but...th-they're very real, and very much on my mind," I went on. "I don't want you or anyone else to...see me, or to see Saffron, as less of a person for this condition."

He brought me in closer, my snug against his front as he rested his snout in my hair.

"I've never thought of you as anything less than my favorite man," he quietly said, softly rubbing his snout between my ears. "While I don't understand the concern from your perspective, the situation itself isn't new to me. No matter what, no matter the condition or how many times it's gone through, I'll love you all the same-- Saffron too."

"...Do you promise?"

"I promise."

I'd heard stories of recovered corrupted being shunned and ousted from their homes, strange witch hunts over absolutely nothing but pointless and baseless fear. It was thought that it would only happen again, inviting danger to their hometowns, but ironically the only thing those actions did was make it that much more likely. All that progress, all that work for naught. I was terrified to possibly be one of them, taking to hiding my name as much as possible just to avoid becoming yet another story, another statistic whispered about. Even now, years later, it was just as vulnerable a situation as ever, and should anyone outside the family know of Saffron's condition -- or my own from years prior -- it was likely we'd be purged.

These things kept me up at night, and I had a feeling it wasn't going to get any easier from here.

We both carried two plates each, ascending the stairs and stopping in front of their bedroom door. With careful maneuvering Daniel managed to free a hand to twist the handle and open the door, all three kids still asleep. Both of us invaded their room to gently wake them and present a full breakfast, offering each child a plate. Daniel offered to retrieve the drinks so I stayed upstairs, parking my seat on the floor to join them for breakfast. Saffron just looked down to her plate as she sat on her knees upon the futon, staring wide-eyed at the food in front of her.

"Saffron?" I gently called. "Are you alright?"

She didn't respond, but prodded the food with her fingertips.

Hm.

I stood up to get closer, taking very obvious and deliberate steps as not to startle our new child. Picking up her fork I held it in my hand.

"Y-You hold a fork like this, and use it to cut the food and bring it to your mouth, like so," I said, cutting some of her eggs and mimicking the motion. "Of course, um, you'll probably use your other hand for this."

I gave her the fork, watching her closely as she tried to hold it. As she attempted to hold it how I had I took her hand and shaped her fingers around the utensil.

"See, just like that," I said, taking her hand to dig the fork into some of the eggs. "You hold a pen similarly, too, if that helps."

Carefully I brought her hand up to her face, bringing the food to her mouth.

"It's okay, Saffron," I tried to reassure. "We made this food for you. I-I'm sure you're quite hungry from yesterday. I-I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to feed you before bed."

With great hesitation she took the bite from the fork, her ears still flattened and nervous. If she didn't know how to eat with a fork, maybe there was more truth to her compound story than I really wanted to believe. The way she stared at the plate in front of her reminded me so much of Sura just a few years ago and made me wonder even more just how often she'd been allowed to eat and if what she ate was any good. Given how thin she was I'd wager little food and not much of substance.

"There we go," I said, brushing her messy hair from her face. "We eat three times daily here. Nobody goes hungry in my home, okay?"

She wouldn't look at me but I noticed her wince slightly, indicating that she was at least listening. Having been in a similar position and seeing others go through it from the outside I knew this wouldn't be the easiest thing to believe or overcome, but one small step at a time. Regardless, I put my hand gently under her chin and stroked her cheek with my thumb in some attempt to comfort her, perhaps further show that I stood by my words.

"That means you, too," I finished through a little smile.

Her eyes slowly eased up to meet mine, as though ashamed to look at me with eyes like those. I met her gaze, undeterred, which seemed to both relax and discomfort her simultaneously. Such a thing would take some getting used to, but the concealers would likely be a big help once they were finished.

Daniel soon arrived carrying several glasses of milk, my taking Saffron's to place by her plate. I got back up to return to my own breakfast, patting her head before I began my walk back, sitting beside Daniel against the wardrobe. I didn't want to allude to any kind of concern but he seemed to feel it, scooting closer against my side. Given both my own history and Saffron's residence I really...could not ask for a better companion at this point in my life.

We both dug into our food, eager to fill our bellies after such an eventful night. Riv and Sura seemed to feel the same, both of them digging in and picking through their breakfasts on their own beds. Saffron slowly picked at hers, almost as if to inspect it similar to how Riv behaved so long ago. Her eyes wandered around the room, settling on Daniel and I. Something about how she looked to us seemed to ask for company, my responding by patting an open area beside me. At first she hesitated, but her ears perked just slightly when I nodded in affirmation. Slowly she rose to her tired feet, picked up her plate and glass, and lightly stepped over to us. Each step was soft yet deliberate, as though checking for reactions from both of us the closer she advanced.

"Hey there, kiddo," Daniel gently said through a warm smile. "You can eat with us if ya'd like."

That seemed to be what she needed, Saffron allowing us a little smile of her own before taking her seat beside me. As we all ate our breakfasts I couldn't help but notice her slightly leaning against my side, a sort of company-seeking behavior known in loneliness corruption. I'd return her leaning with my hand on her head, my fingers combing through her messy morning hair. At first she wasn't sure how to respond, but warmed up to it rather quickly. From the other sides of the room Sura and Riv watched rather intently, curious in their own ways about the new child and what all corruption really meant.

This would all be quite a trial for everyone involved.

After breakfast was finished Daniel and I took everyone's plates and glasses to head back downstairs. Saffron seemed nervous about our departure, however.

"Daniel is going to head into town for some errands, but I will be upstairs again shortly," I said to the children, but looked directly to Saffron. "I just want to get to these dishes real quick first."

She seemed to perk back up a little bit before we left, closing the door behind us and returning to the small lounge kitchen on the lower floor. We both tackled the dishes, wanting to get them out of the way sooner rather than later and working together made it that much quicker.

"Do you think you could pick up a change or two of clothes while you're in town?" I asked, drying a plate.

"Not a problem," Daniel answered, scrubbing another plate. "Was planning on doing that, anyway, honestly. Fortunately there should be plenty of stuff in her size, though I'm not sure what kind of clothes she'd like."

"I'm more concerned that she has clothes at all," I returned, putting away the plate. "The one thing I'd request would be a traditional southern top or two? I think the high collar would be appreciated with that big brand on her neck."

"That's fair, yeah," he said, giving me another plate to dry before moving on to a glass. "I'll grab a couple'a those, prob'ly also a pair of capris and some slacks since she's got a pair of shorts already."

"That should work for the time being," I replied, putting that plate away and waiting to take the glass. "We'll probably get a feel for the clothing she prefers in due time. I'd like to also set aside some money to get her some nice bedsheets and a stuffed animal like the other two have."

"Sure thing, though I've been wonderin' about her literacy and that kind of thing," he said, handing me the glass to grab another. "If that compound story is true -- and honestly, I'd believe it -- then I doubt she's literate. We'll need to make some lower-level schoolwork to help her catch up."

"Ah, that's no problem," I responded, drying that glass. "Sura was the same way at a similar age and caught up in no time. Surely with the other two to help it'll be more of the same. I'd like to get some progress on the, um, condition first so she's a little more comfortable around here. Get used to things, get used to us, and so on."

"Of course," he chuckled, pulling the plug from the drain. "It'll be a little touch-and-go for a bit, which is normal for such a status, but I assure ya she'll be okay--"

I looked down to my side with an awkward little smile while he dried his hands with a small towel, handing it to me once he finished. He took it back to hang up when I was done before reaching down and scooping me up, taking me by surprise and leaving me unable to react. Daniel stood there in the lounge kitchen, holding me up at his front with my head above his as my hands clung to the front of his shirt. He responded by hugging onto me a little tighter and nuzzling his nose against mine.

"--and so will you."

Even I couldn't help but to smile as my face warmed up. He left a little kiss on my nose before setting me back down onto the floor and walking out to the lobby.

"Alright, shops and such should be opening and I'd like to get the order for the concealers out of the way first," he said, looking out the window to gauge the weather. "Unless you have any special requests I'll be gettin' the usual stuff for groceries."

"...Nothing really comes to mind, though I would appreciate if you got the children those pastries," I answered. "I'm sure Saffron would like them, too."

"Well, that's just implied," he returned with an amused smile. "I'll be back in prob'ly about an hour. Try not to miss me too much."

I smiled and rolled my eyes as he stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

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