Click.
The door closed behind him.
Rinita reached her arm out, leading him to a seat.
Adaceus followed her direction, and he sat, facing toward two people that were already in this room, Hainan and Ingrid. Both of them were sat in a long couch, sitting just on the other side of him with only a table separating them.
Rinita then walked over to them in steady steps, and placed herself just behind them like a watchful guard.
An awkward silence poured on the room.
This feelsfamiliar, He thought, realizing this was the same room he first entered when he came to this home, the room where he was intimidatingly interrogated by Ingridt.
And it looks like its going to be the same as last time too.
He took himself a step back from his reminiscing and refocused to the two people in front of him. He analyzed their faces, the both of them containing stoic and unmoving expressions like a blank mask with barely any movement. Their eyes locked all focused and lodged unto him. They were calm and relaxed, and Instinctively Adaceus knew something was brewing beneath the cool exterior they presented.
"Umm, might I ask what is the reason I was sent here?"
Silence, no response from the both of them. Adaceus continued looking at their faces, waiting for a response, but after a few seconds there was still nothing. He was starting to become uncomfortable by the quietness of them that he almost started to shake, his hands trembling on his knees and he wanted to look away so badly.
"You're here because you need some explaining to do, Ada, with a statement like that we need to have a serious talk."
Ingridt was the first to speak, which brought a feeling of strange relief over him, but was replaced by another type of worry and anxiety.
"Yes, a talk, what about?" Adaceus wondered.
"About you leaving!! What else are we supposed to talk about!?"
Hainan exclaimed and rising from the seat, his face transforming to a furious face, gritting his teeth and widening his eyes. It was so unlike him to be this angry, and his face didn't quite compliment the maddened and enraged expression that it went right around to being actually funny looking.
"Right, I understand."
"Calm down dear," Ingridt held his shoulder and plopped him right down to the seat, soothing his rage.
"Ada, tell me, is it true? You're actually planning on leaving here?"
"Yes, I am."
"Which makes no sense!" Hainan again raised his voice.
"Dear calm dow-"
"I mean why?!" He roared, interrupting Ingridt, "Why do you even want to leave? Why! Its crazy! I mean, what are you even thinking?"
A slurry of words were spewed, and all that was said was Hainan trying to reconcile Adaceus leaving. He was hysteric and out of his mind, his words like a thunder and fast in their delivery thst was almost like that of a father, worried out of their mind when their child moves out and leaves for an independent life. He had the same crazed, funny look from before.
"Dear, stop..." Ingridt softly said. Hainan paused his rambling, an abrupt stop to his intense speech. Realization hit him, and he looked to Ingridt, and then to Adaceus with an astonished stare, seeming surprised about what he had done.
"Huh," he breathed a sigh, and he rubbed the back of his head, flustered. "Right, sorry about that," he said, seating himself down with an awkward smile before a somber face came to replace it.
Ingridt rubbed his back
"Ada, yesterday you hit my husband with some pretty unexpected news, and as you can see he doesn't quite know how to react."
She let out her hand to grab a cup of tea, taking a sip and placing it back down.
"So is it true? You're really leaving here?"
"Yes, I've already made the necessary preparations, and I'm set to depart some time in a few weeks."
"Wha-!?" Hainan was about to start saying something until Ingridt turned her head and shot him a paralyzing gaze, an angry look that silenced him right back down.
"You've already made plans? That was fast, though I should have expected it from you."
"Yes."
"But there is a question that needs to be asked, Ada."
"A question?"
"Yes, why? You didn't give my dear a proper answer when you last talked, and it didn't quite makes sense why, so, now that I am here, I think its time that you've given us an explanation on your decision to leave."
Hainan swung his head up and down in fervent agreement with a childlike pouting face waiting angrily for his response.
"Ada, explain."
Adaceus sat in silence, there was only one thing he could say.
"I want to go out to the world," he answered.
"Right, that was the same answer you gave my husband, but why? What's out there that is so important that you would decide to leave."
"I can't properly explain it, Ingridt, and honestly I don't know how to, I just feel like its time I actually leave here, like my welcome has been overstayed. Furthermore, I think its the perfect time to do so, seeing as I have turned of age to where most adolescents move out along with other things."
"Ada, listen to me carefully," she said, furrowing her brows, an almost sudden movement that jolted Adaceus. "Don't ever say stuff like that, you will always be welcome here, you understand? After all you practically grew up here, that makes you family to us and I don't want to hear otherwise, heck, we would've kept you here forever if you hadn't decided to leave, so don't say anything else about being unwelcomed."
"A-alright, I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
She was still furious, her face was still but had a glimmer of frustration on her usually stoic face and a little bit of anger slipping through every each word she spoke to him. She then sighed, letting the rising heat of anger recede into her exhale, furious that Ada would even suggest that he was an unbidden person or that he even considered himself that way.
"There's more to its, isn't there?" Ingridt continued. Adaceus flinched briefly, her keen foresight shining through when she asked the question, accurately reading him like a book.
"Y-yes, there is." Adaceus quickly answered.
"All right."
"U-um," he stuttered. "W-well, its just like you said, Ingridt, I have spent most of my life in this place, grew up and have lived comfortably in it, and to both of you I am very thankful that you have let me stay here thus far. This place, the city, everything in it is all I've ever known."
He looked toward their faces, turning back and forth each of them before staring at the window. The three moons shown brightly, sparkling like jewels on the monotone neck of the starry nighttime.
"And that's the problem, I know nothing else other than this place, all I know of this world is this little part of it. And please, I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the hospitality and care you've provided me, truly I am thankful, for giving me work and even providing my sisters with education and a proper home."
He turned to Hainan specifically, in which he sent back an anxious look, "I was a runaway, you know that Hainan, a vagabond fortunate enough to have met folk like you, I want to learn more of this world, and maybe actually live a life of my own.
He returned to see the both of them. Adaceus had already said what he needed to say, and he hoped and prayed they'd understand.
.....
.....
.....
"Alright," a sudden voice chimed. "You have my permission, you can set off on that journey of yours." Ingridt was the first to speak, and it greatly relieved Adaceus to a large degree, she was the one he thought was the most harder to convince of the two of them.
"But-" Hainan croaked as Ingridt softly placed her hand on the back of his won, he wanted to add something but was interrupted as, Adaces then turned quickly to Hainan, his focus fully on him like a dog to a bine, and from under the mask he could sense a look of anticipation and expectation, even though he couldn't see it.
He took a long while, wavering as the flood gates were about ready to burst, and with a heavy breath, he let it all out.
"Me too, you have my permission also."
"Thank you!" Adaceus yelped in elation. "Thank you so very much for this!"
In a sudden motion, he bowed, placing both of his hands on his knees in a quick motion that produced a loud thunderclap.
Bothe their faces tightened in surprise.
"That's enough of that, Ada."
"Yes," he said, rising from his prostrated pose with a joyful energy,
"Are you taking the girls with you in this venture to the world?"
"No, miss, I actually thought they should stay here, I'd like for them to continue their education and to continue to have a home. Bu-but! If it is to much I can make other arrangements, I can set up something different-"
"No, you don't need to do that, Ada, they can continue to stay here."
"Are you sure?"
Ingridt nodded in agreement, "Certain."
"Right, I understand, thank you. And furthermore I wholly promise that they aren't going to be a burden on the both of you, I have a way of sending some money here to support them and I could use my unused salary checks and-"
"Stop right there, Ada," she interrupted. "You don't need to to that."
"But, surely I'd have to reimburse the support you've given them."
"And you don't need to worry about them, we'll continue to provide care as usual, you're already leaving and in no way are your not taking them away from me."
"I can't thank you enough."
"Are they okay with you leaving?"
"They understood, and they are probably going to be happy enough to stay here with you guys."
"Do you have everything settled or do you want help with anything?"
"No, there are still somethings that I need to wait on but its something I can do on my own."
"Just ask if you need anything, alright."
Adaceus nodded, relieved that this was done.