Reunion at Sea

Loyalty

Since he no longer had to sneak around, Varian could mix up several batches of truth serum. Xavier volunteered to help, but really he just wanted to see his old student in action. After all, it wasn't often that he got to see him doing his alchemy, he wished he'd taken the time to watch him before, to check up on him. He had heard that he was in town, but hadn't wondered why he didn't visit like he usually did. And that was his fault, his choice.

It amazed him how Varian could recreate the truth serum he used before so effortlessly, like it was nothing to him to make a complex recipe.

"Do you need any help?" He asked with amusement.

"Ah, yeah, can you go grab a crate so I can load it up with truth serum for the castle?" Varian asked, focusing on his work.

"I heard you went down to the prison earlier." Xavier said as he grabbed a crate. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

Varian paused in his work, then went back to it. "Not much to talk about. I brought them down to see the place and they walked around poking at my dried blood and the gashes in the table. I think Cassandra needs someone to talk about it, though. Or Lance, he seemed pretty affected. Not sure you can help him much, though. Some things you just can't help with platitudes and stories."

Xavier sighed and nodded, setting the crate down on the worktable. Varian finished with one bottle and put it in the crate, then moved on to filling the next one. "I just want to be of help."

"You have helped." Varian assured him. "This revolution wouldn't have gone so smoothly if it wasn't for your help, and your secret passage to the tunnels." He winked at him and then went back to work.

"So, your clothes..." Xavier mused, "are they truly made of the same rocks that destroyed your hometown?"

"Yeah." Varian nodded. "And as soon as I finish translating the scroll, the rocks are all going down."

Xavier chuckled. "Well, do let me know if you need any help with that."

Varian nodded, then focused on his task. Once the crate was full of bottles, he put something in to cushion them and then put a lid on. "Let's take these out to the cart to be delivered to the Capital." He told Xavier, who nodded and lifted it up for him before they walked out, Quirin waiting outside with Adira.

"Where's Hector?" Varian asked.

"He's with Cassandra and her...other father." Quirin shrugged.

"Ah." Varian nodded. "Well, let's get going."

They loaded up the crate and then climbed into the cart to head for Corona Capital.

--

Cassandra glanced from left to right, feeling a little nervous. This was the first time her dad would be meeting...her dad. That was going to be hard to get used to.

"Well, uhm...Dad...uh, Captain Solomon, this is...my birth dad, Hector of the Brotherhood in the Dark Kingdom. Hector, this is Captain Solomon." She introduced the two men.

Captain Solomon had been set aside from the others. They knew he was an ally, but they wanted to make it fair and arrested him with everyone else. Still, they gave him his own holding cell instead of sticking him with the rest of the Royal Guard. Nigel, likewise, had his own holding cell.

"Varian told us about how you kept him from irreversible harm by the Disciple Lucas' hands." Hector said, holding out a hand. "I thank you. And also for taking in my daughter when her mother left her behind."

"And I think you for bringing Cassandra into this world." Captain Solomon smiled softly. "She has been a blessing to me, and I am glad to have been her father. But, I am also glad to know that her real father is not a terrible person."