I made haste to return to my post, not wanting to waste more time than I already had. With my mouth rinsed out the best I could manage I slowly made my way down the hall, down the stairs, and back out to the lobby. Fortunately for both of us Riv still sat out on the lobby floor, saying nothing and just staring out the window. Though I knew he was upset with me I pat his head as I walked by, hoping to indicate my remorse in whatever way I could.

It struck me as strange that Daniel was nowhere to be found until I found a note on my desk.

"Taking care of Connor's first appointment.
-D. G."

I guess that explained the absence.

I took a quick look out the window in hopes that the bright light would help me feel more awake, but instead it just made my head hurt.

My eyes felt scratchy and dry as though I'd cried for hours, my head and back hurt, and my legs could barely hold up even my meager weight. Before departing the bathroom I'd noticed my hair greying and thinning in places, and while I might be getting up there in years I somehow doubted my age was to blame.

I couldn't keep lying to myself anymore. I couldn't keep playing stupid.

After a harsh sigh I grabbed my pen and set forth to continue my work, hoping I could make up for the time lost without too much trouble or eye strain. It was like the moment I started writing time became nothing more than a concept; the next thing I knew I already had a short pile of writings off to my side. To some this might seem like a good thing, but for some reason it alarmed me.

Was it age?

Was it just the activity all bleeding together?

...Something else entirely?

The silence in the lobby bothered me. Before too long I'd look back up from my desk and notice my son had fallen asleep in the corner. In his position I'd probably do the same, I suppose, without anything to do or say.

Seemingly only a few seconds after starting my work again I heard the front door open, it hitting the little bell. The moment I saw a small pair of black feet strike the lobby floor I knew something was wrong.

"...Oh," I thought to myself. "Oh no. What is that."

Soon Daniel stepped past the threshold, turning around to close the door behind both of them. Though I couldn't quite make out who or what the resident might be, this seemed far too similar to Connor's enrollment and, were this a pure resident, they'd have been brought here by Morissey or his staff.

"We have a new resident," he called from his distance, fidgeting with something at his side.

"...Why do you do these things?" I irritably asked from my desk, my eyes barely able to strain past the window glare.

"Something wrong?" he asked in return.

"...Is this a real question?" I retorted, holding my head in a vain effort to stop the pounding.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," he teased, putting his hand on the shoulder of this new person and walking them up to my desk.

"Please don't do this to me," I said to myself, though probably not quietly enough to evade those long ears.

"Everything'll be fine," he said as my thin, bony fingers pulled at my hair and my nails dug further into my scalp. "I have the file already written up."

He handed it to me once the two reached my desk, my looking down to a little girl. Her bright apple-green eyes and all-too-innocent smile perplexed me given how the other children looked and behaved when they were enrolled. As far as I could interpret it wasn't just an act, her little hands fidgeting with each other near her chest in an almost giddy restlessness.

It was...disarming, in a way.

After a much-needed rub of my sore eyes I took a quick look at the file:

Name: Harley
Alias:
Race: Faraden
Type: New
Sex: Female
Age: 7 years

...The rest of the details from here didn't matter too much, though the blank left for the alias confused me. Maybe Daniel wanted me to choose since he'd apparently chose Connor's.

"And now that you're here," he said in an irritated tone I wasn't quite familiar with, "I'm just dying to know what this farce is."

I wasn't sure what he meant.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in return.

"That. Over there," he replied, pointing behind him to a Riv still sleeping in the corner. "Don't play dumb."

Admittedly I'd somewhat forgotten about it, having been too preoccupied with catching up on my work.

"He was caught taking milk from the wrong icebox," I explained. "Now he's an example."

His look of disgust just tore at me.

"...And you're...fine with that," he replied, the disbelief thick in his tone.

"How I feel doesn't matter," I sighed, my own irritation getting to me. "Don't steal. It's not a tall order."

He pressed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his snout.

"Why didn't anyone just...say they were out?" he asked, his words reflecting what I, too, wondered.

"I don't know," I answered, looking back down to my work. "Nobody told me anything."

Strange that neither of us knew we'd been out, but stranger yet that Daniel didn't. He liked being in charge of groceries so if anyone would know about it, it would be him, and he was usually quite on-top of the house's food.

"You can't keep allowing these things to happen," he said severely, those big hands gripping my desk.

I assumed this was about the staff's obvious bias regarding my children. As much as I'd wished and hoped way back when, their stares and nasty words never seemed to ease. No, instead they'd gotten more bold with their petty jabs and insults and it was seemingly to get a rise out of them. If I had to guess it was to deliberately cause a confrontation so they could finally have some reason to oust me and mine, or something to that effect.

...However, Daniel's conviction seemed to hint at something more serious, but if more or worse had been occurring I wasn't aware of it. I was rarely away from my desk, and if I were I was just at my other desk with barely any time to use the bathroom or sleep.

"...I don't...have a say in this," I said, defeated and backed into a corner.

"...Reverend, please..." he sighed, releasing the edge of my desk from his grasp. "I know you. This isn't you. Before last time you'd never once called anyone a mongrel. Something is clearly wrong. Please...just tell me."

The sheer begging in his voice called forth the moisture in my eyes and I quickly hid my face under my hand. The last thing I wanted or needed was to make a scene, especially out here.

There was so much to be said, but nothing that I could say.

"I...I can't, Daniel," I quietly responded. "Not out here."

He tilted his head.

"Th-They're watching me," I continued, just barely audible. "...They're always watching me."

From where I sat I could see his eyes shift and head turn just a bit, a pair of narrowed orange eyes at the mouth of the hallway corridor.

"Please...consider the scene before you an allegory," I said in finality.

He looked at Riv, how his hands were tied and he was unable to move. I hoped that got the message across.

A sudden jump and yelp from my big son startled me even from my post, our looking over to see what transpired. Rather than a reason to be concerned it seemed Harley, the new resident, was quite taken by Riv's fluffy tail and the strange feeling rudely woke him from his likely uncomfortable nap. Daniel just laughed from where he stood, and had I not my throbbing headache I'd have probably done the same.

"Looks like she already made a friend," he chuckled.

"...So I saw," I said through a little smile.

Even if my head hurt, it was still amusing.

"Please come out and talk to me when you get time," he said suddenly very quietly, turning back to me.

That caught me a bit offguard and I wasn't sure how was best to respond.

"I don't...know if--"

"Please," again came that begging tone.

How much longer could I do this?

"...I will try."

He seemed satisfied enough with that answer, granting me a little smile and nod before turning back to the door. After a quick wave to our confused son he left the building, likely heading out to the infirmary to prepare for Harley's first evaluation. I was left to my own work, making a few copies of this personal file while the two children conversed at the other end of the lobby. While I couldn't tell what, specifically, was being said I could tell from Riv's face and posture he was uncomfortable. He didn't like being seen without his hat, at least by strangers, and I had a feeling that was why.

I looked through the notes of the file to get some background for this little girl as she didn't seem to come from a bad environment.

"Has been moved to various homes since 1 (one) year of age. Longest stay in any home so far has been 2 (two) years, but most stays have been far shorter."

...Since a year old?

"Reason for enrollment: Fishing boat sunk, causing the parents to drown."

...Well then.

I looked through another page for anything that might explain the short stays at previous homes. While she seemed mischievous, most children were to some extent, so I doubted it was a behavioral problem.

"Addendum: Harley is being moved due to overcrowding."

Oh?

This line seemed to appear quite a few times in attached backlogs. So, no, not a behavioral issue, just a matter of trying to make space. Unfortunately I wasn't familiar with any of the listed previous residences to know if anything might have led to sudden increases in enrollment like I'd experienced with Stipa.

I guess it didn't matter. With my pen in hand I continued making copies before setting them aside. Given she was a new type I already knew she'd be a permanent resident so I withheld her file. Maybe this way I could give her, in turn, a more permanent home.

With the copies made I attempted to stand from my desk, it requiring more effort than it should just to hold up my weight. Somehow managing to free myself from the cubicle I carefully made my way over to the two still on the floor, trying to keep my composure and not look too pathetic.

"Harley?" I softly called. "I am...very sorry for what occurred earlier."

"It's okay!" she chirped.

"If you could please come with me, I will take you upstairs and you can choose a room," I offered, motioning to the hallway. "It will take only a few minutes."

I sighed.

"...Afterward I would like a moment with you, R...Celadon," I finished, hoping my slip-up hadn't been heard by any nearby staff.

From my left appeared a blur of rusty orange and a pair of bright yellow eyes, the sudden appearance making me jump.

"...Hey, Father, if you'd like I'd be happy to take her upstairs and give her the tour for you instead," Saffron insisted past that nervous smile. "I know you're tired. Please let me help."

For someone her age she was eerily perceptive, and between both her and Daniel it was hard to keep people off my trail.

...And...just how long had she been standing there?

"...Help...me?" I uttered, my own brand of disbelief.

"Of course," she answered.

If only she knew.

"...Th-Thank you, Saffron," I conceded. "I would appreciate it."

I looked from her and back down to the other two.

"...I'm so sorry for how I've been behaving as of late," I quietly apologized. "I don't mean to be this way."

"Please don't mind him too much-- he works a lot, and very hard," Saffron said, her words making my eyes water. "We can head up whenever you're ready. I'm guessing you'd like to share a room with that big, lanky friend of yours?"

"Oooh, can I?" Harley asked, her tail excitedly swaying.

"Hey--" Riv cut in, contesting either the lack of say or Saffron's interpretation of his physique.

"Sure," Saffron answered, shrugging and shooting Riv a sly smile. "I'll show you where everything is."

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Harley told her new large friend. "By the way, your eyes are really pretty!"

"...Thank you, Harley," Riv replied, seemingly unsure how to respond. "That means a lot."

"And thank you for being my first friend!" she stood up onto her knees and pounced on my large son, planting a peck on his cheek.

"N-No...problem."

Harley stood up and took Saffron's hand, the older of the two looking back to me once before heading down the hallway. I could tell Saffron was concerned, and much more so than anyone her age should have to be. Once I heard their feet ascend the staircase my knees gave out below me, my landing on my irritated son. I wrapped my scrawny arms around him and immediately my eyes let go of all the water they'd been holding back this morning.

"Oh, what, tying me up ain't enough now?" he asked bitterly.

"...Riv, please," I choked through my tears, "you know this rope is loose and frayed. You could have freed yourself at any time."

I squeezed him harder, burying my snout into his shoulder.

"...I know you hate me," I whispered. "I don't blame you. I hadn't a choice. I did this because I knew if I were the one to, you wouldn't get hurt. I can't trust them to do the same."

I could feel his head turn toward me.

"I'm...I'm trying so hard to get everything back to how it used to be..." I said, barely audible. "...How...we used to be."

I pressed the side of my face against his neck. This was probably the hardest I'd ever hugged anyone.

"...Please, Riv, don't lose faith in me," I begged. "I'm so sorry."

A moment of silence was followed by a shuffling sound from behind him, but my eyes were far too wet to see. It didn't matter once his right arm wrapped around my back, his hands now freed.

"...I don't hate you," he said, my eyes widening.

He hugged me tight with his right arm, sitting more upright to bring forth his left and rest his large hand against the back of my head. I hugged him tighter as he reciprocated the gesture, combing his fingers through my unkempt hair just like I'd do to him all those years ago.

"I could never hate you, Father."

---

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