While Rick called her ‘Mom,’ she looked more like a younger woman in her late-twenties. And since Rick also looked to be in his twenties, seeing them in a mother-son dynamic didn’t quite click. Then again, once True Bloods reached a point where they became self-reliant—in other words, when they started looking like young boys and girls—they would start aging at an extremely slow rate. Given that, Ristia did not find anything particularly peculiar about the two.
“...Nanami? Nanami!” The woman looked at Nanami, stood up with some clatter, and rushed over to her at breakneck speed.
“Nanami! Oh, thank God! Yer safe ‘n’ sound!”
“Wah-phh! Urgh~ Can’t breathe~” Nanami squirmed around, having her air supply cut off by the ample bosom hugging her extremely tight.
“Hah... Really, thank the lucky stars yer safe ‘n’ sound. Y’didn’t come back home when your team was s’possed ta, so I got worried t’death.”
“...Aww. I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Y’really put my heart through the wringer. So... what in th’ world even happened?”
“Well, the reconnaissance team got wiped out...”
“The recon team got wiped out?!” Nanami went on to explain that the reconnaissance team was attacked by monsters, demolished, and that she was rescued from danger. Her mother was shocked to hear the news, but she hugged her, glad that she at least had made it out in one piece. It was a heartwarming scene of family love, a scene that reminded Ristia of her own family as she looked on.
Ristia’s family wouldn’t fall to decay over the course of a mere thousand years, and it was impossible to think that another tribe could have wiped them out. However, it was equally impossible to think that they would just abandon her for over the course of a thousand years, as well. They should be alive somewhere, but what they’re doing and where is the question. I should probably go looking for them soon, Ristia thought.
“So who is that lil’ lady who’s been standin’ there this whole time?”
“That is Lady Ristia.”
“Uh... Lady Ristia?”
“My savior from the explanation I just gave. I wanted to thank her, and I asked that she follow me back home. So would it be okay if she stays over at our... Um, Mom?” Nanami tilted her head in confusion partway through her introduction, realizing that her mother wasn’t giving her any sort of reaction. Rather, the young lady remained frozen once she looked at Ristia, for some reason.
What happened to her? pondered Ristia, tilting her head as well.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-Who is this girl?! Oh my God, she’s as cute as can be! Is she some sort of doll? Is she some sort of livin’ doll?!”
“Um, I am not a doll; I’m a normal girl.”
“Haaaah, and with a voice as cute as a button, t’boot! Can I hug you? Oh, hell, I’m gonna hug you whether y’like it or not! Bring it in! Huuuuugs!” She kept true to her words, giving Ristia an intense hug.
Now that I’m getting smooshed by this lady’s breasts, she really is the spitting image of my sisters, Ristia mentally noted.
“Hey, look, Nanami. Ms. Ristia isn’t flinching at all.”
“That’s Lady Ristia for you!” Also, for some reason, she received a boost to her reputation. That encouragement made Ristia think, If it will get Nanami to call me ‘Big Sis,’ then I’ll gladly raise my reputation myself in their eyes. As she thought that, she waited for the young lady to get her fill from the hug.
A short time passed, and she finally let go.
“Haah~ Best hug I ever did have. Okay, so, you’re... Lady Ristia, I reckon?”
“Ristia will suffice~ I’m just a normal girl, after all,” Ristia uttered innocently.
“Oh? Is that a fact...?” the young lady whispered with an exhale. “Not only did I get th’ jump on ya by not mindin’ my manners, I hugged your lil’ guts out. But you don’t look angry in th’ slightest. Huh... Here I was, thinkin’ you were some pompous aristocrat girl, but I guess I got proved wrong.”
“Yup, I’m certainly no aristocrat.” She wasn’t going to go out of her way to say, ‘Why, yes, I am a True Blood princess.’
“Hey, hold up, Mom. Were you testing her, thinking she was an aristocrat? What were you gonna do if she actually did get angry?”
“Hah! Obviously, I’d grovel for forgiveness, Son,” she said with a sweet smile. Rick sighed in response.
“Well, even so, I’m glad to see you like her. Me and Nanami are gonna go report to the guild, so could you keep Ms. Ristia here company in the meantime?”
“Huh? Big Brother? Wait a second, I need to talk to Lady Ristia.”
“Save it for later.”
“Whaa? L-Lady Ristiaaa...” Nanami looked over to Ristia, hoping she would bail her out. She’d mentioned earlier that she wanted to discuss with her how openly she should speak about the whole dragon-slaying business, so it probably meant trouble if she got dragged off to the guild before they could get their stories straight. Hence why Ristia smiled and told her that she’d leave things up to her.
“No, that isn’t my point here. Well, it is, to some degree, but... Lady Ristia, please have some self-control, okay?”
“Mm-hmm, it’s alright. I’ll sit here patiently and wait for you to come back.”
“That really doesn’t sound ‘alright’ in the slightest, though.”
“C’mon, let’s hurry up and go.”
“Waaah, okay, okay! I’m coming! I’m coming, so stop dragging me~!” Rick proceeded to haul Nanami off.
This kind of... How should I put it? It kind of makes me realize that forceful older siblings run across the board, regardless of tribe, Ristia thought in a carefree manner.
“Now then, Ristia, m’dear... Oh, is the ‘dear’ part too much?”
“Why, of course not, oh... um...”
“Name’s Eindebelle. Belle’s just fine.”
“Got it, Sis. Belle it is.”
“S-Sis?!” Eindebelle seemed shaken.
“Is that off-limits...?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant by that. It’s just that Rick and Nanami are always treatin’ me the way they do, y’know? So I kinda braced up ta get treated like an old lady.”
“The way they do? What way?” Ristia cocked her head in confusion, not all that privy to what she meant.
“Ah, right. They didn’t fill y’in on that. All I did was take in those two and raise ‘em. So, y’see, I’m not their real mom.”
“So you’re not their mom, but they call you... Mom? Not ‘Big Sis,’ or something like that?” Ristia was shaken, since if she were the one with a younger girl under her care that loved and adored her, she would have naturally had her call her ‘Big Sis’ instead.
“I know that the age gap would warrant them treatin’ me like an older sister, yeah. But, well... those kids probably ended up wantin’ a mom more than a sister.”
“That... must be tough, I’m assuming.”
“So ya understand my struggle?!”
“Why, yes! Of course I do!” she replied, in a rare case of comprehending the situation—so far.
“Ristia, m’dear, you’re a darling. Wanna be my lil’ sister?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have two older sisters of my own. Sorry.”
“Oh wow, y’got two of ‘em, huh?”
“Yup, I’m not really sure where they are right now, though.”
“...! Ah, hey, sorry ‘bout that...”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me,” Ristia said with an adorable smile, simply thinking that they were off wandering around somewhere just like she was. However, since Eindebelle had no idea about her situation, she mistook that as there being some deeper reason at play. She wiped the forming tears from her eyes, thinking, She’s got it so rough, but she’s still able to keep an open heart for others? This kid is too kind, I tell ya. Ristia was completely oblivious to this misunderstanding, however.
“Gettin’ back on topic, Nanami said ya were the one who saved her life. Thank ya. And I mean that from the heart.”
“Oh no, I just so happened to be around; that’s all.”
“Even so, you saved her all the same, and that’s what counts here. Thank ya so much. I really mean it.” Eindebelle hadn’t yet been told about the part of the story where Ristia defeated a dragon singlehandedly, but she was told that Nanami would have been in grave danger if Ristia wasn’t around, so she gave her heartfelt gratitude as a result. “Is there anythin’ that’s got’cha down? I’ll try my very best to help ya out.”
“Got me down...? Oh, now that you mention it, I don’t have any money.”
“Well, dang... You’re straight ta the point, ain’cha?” Eindebelle said with a wry smile on her face. She probably would have taken that as a shake down for a reward if Ristia wasn’t the one who’d said it.