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The world is at peace.
Rena and Dahna have merged into one, the Crown Contest is over for good, the ritual has been carried out, and Shionne…
Well, Shionne is waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Nothing in her life has ever stayed good. Been good, temporarily, sure. And travelling with the party… that had been good.
So it hadn't surprised her when they'd split up. Dohalim had gone to oversee the integration efforts from Lenegis, Rinwell and Kisara had gone to see what they could do for Pelegion, and Law had returned to Cyslodia for now.
She'd expected Alphen to go to Calaglia, or maybe to follow the others to Pelegion, or even to Leneghis.
Instead, he'd stayed with her.
The countryside has changed, with the merging of planets, and so she'd set out to wander for a bit, to maybe disappear for a while and process everything that had happened.
The loss of her thorns was the biggest change to deal with. She'd flinched at every touch before they'd separated, unable to get used to the feeling of not causing pain without even meaning to, but on her own it would be less of a problem.
And yet, she's not on her own. Alphen is careful about not touching her, and she doesn't know if that's habit, politeness, or disinterest.
So for now, they travel together by mutual unspoken agreement, and Shionne leads the way to Elde Menancia and then Mahag Saar, and then from there to Pelegion.
She's expecting a polite greeting from her former travelling companions, and then maybe an offer of a ship to get her to Calaglia, but instead Rinwell practically throws herself at Shionne the second the younger girl sees her coming.
Startled, Shionne puts out her hands, just to drop them when she remembers that her thorns are gone and she can't hurt Rinwell anymore.
Then, Rinwell's arms are around her and she freezes, trying to remember what to do with her arms in a hug.
Slowly, she wraps her arms around Rinwell in return.
They have dinner with Rinwell and Kisara - the latter of which doesn't surprise her with a hug, but does offer her a firm handshake, clasping Shionne's hand with both of hers - and stay the night in the (mostly still abandoned) palace.
When they leave the next morning, Rinwell hugs her goodbye as well, and this time Shionne hesitates a little less in returning the hug.
They're off to Calaglia next, and this is where Alphen will leave her, she knows.
But he doesn't. They check in with Doc, and with the rest of the former resistance, and spend a few days doing minor errands for them to help out.
From them, they learn that Law has settled in Cysloden for the most part, helping the resistance members there to recover and rebuild.
"Let's go there next," Shionne suggests to Alphen, which is the closest they've gotten to having a talk about their plans.
Minor things like what path they should take or a strategy for fighting an enemy or who is cooking for dinner get talked about, but longer-term things like where they're going and how long they're going to stay for, well…
But Alphen just nods, and when Shionne leaves the next morning, he's right behind her.
Law practically bounces over to them, chattering away about the improvements they've made to the town and how some of the Leneghis citizens have already shown up to make a tentative start at a new life.
He hugs Alphen first, but he gives Shionne a quick hug too. Less like he's in a hurry to get away from her before her thorns show up, but more like a hyperactive teenager who has too many things on his plate, she thinks to herself.
It's nice to know that the two youngest members of their former group are so quick to adjust.
They stay an entire week in Cyslodia, ranging out from the capital to solve issues where they can, and then head off to their next stop.
Shionne is not looking forward to Leneghis.
Too many people there know her - in the occasional crowds in the cities they've visited so far, people haven't hesitated to brush up against her or hand her things.
In Leneghis… she thinks it will be harder for people to forget.
But she's been travelling through the other major cities, so she feels like she owes it to Leneghis to at least stop in.
Dohalim greets her at the gates, though he's clearly already got three other people waiting on him.
The little town named for the home its inhabitants had once known has grown a lot, since they'd dropped Dohalim off here. There are well-constructed houses, and even a little inn to stay at.
"You don't want to stay here," Alphen says quietly once they've retreated to an inn room for the night.
"It's not that," Shionne protests. "These are my people. I owe it to them to make sure they're settled."
"Dohalim is doing that," her usually-silent companion points out. "And I don't think you owe them anything. Not anymore. Our part is done, Shionne."
She shakes her head. "And what are we supposed to do, then?"
"Find a little house. Build one, maybe. Make a garden to grow food in, and spend the days in peace. Invite friends over."
"Is that what you want for you or for me?"
He opens his mouth, hesitates, and closes it again.
"For us," he says finally. "You keep travelling like you have nowhere to settle. I want… I want you to know you have a place to call home. Wherever that is."
Shionne is so used to pushing people away emotionally so she doesn't have to worry about pushing them away physically.
She's not sure what to do with this.
"If I did," she says slowly, "would you come with me?"
"If you wanted me to," he replies, "yes."
"I'll think about it," she says, and she does.
–
They do another lap around all of the major cities. Shionne hugs Rinwell back without hesitating, takes Kisara's hand when she needs help climbing a crumbling structure, lets Law clap her on the back, clasps hands with Dohalim.
And when they finish that lap, they go back to Elde Menancia, and they build a little house just far enough off the beaten trail that they won't be flooded with visitors, but close enough that they can have the visitors they want.
At Shionne's insistence, the house has two bedrooms, but over the course of the next few months, it gets used less and less.
They fight over what they grow in their garden, or what to make for dinner, or who's hogging all the blankets at night, but it's… it's nice, Shionne thinks.
And when it's cold outside, she can sit next to Alphen, free of her thorns and unafraid to lean up against him.