The Book of Abbadon

Departure

" Thank you for staying with me, Mimi. I'm glad you were there to help me feel better. "

You say to Mimi as you set her down. Mimi grabs your hands and her face lights up with a smile, looking up at you as she responds.

" Don't mention it, Star Faller! I'll always be right beside you through everything no matter what. "

" Speaking of that... "

Tom interjects in a concerned tone as he looks back at you.

" I don't think that Voldoor is a good place for Mimi. If she comes with us, I'm afraid that she'll be exposed to alot of things that she shouldn't be exposed to... "

You look down at Mimi and start to see her begin to get upset. As her face becomes red and her eyes begin to water, she pulls herself close to you and starts to mumble in a trembling voice.

" But... but I... "

The memory of you having to leave Rosie resurfaces and you begin to feel sick to your stomach. You can't leave Mimi. You have to do things right this time.

As you look at Mimi, you can tell that she seriously cares about you. She's on the verge of crying, so you softly put your arm around her to comfort her before you look up and respond to Tom.

" When I spoke to Arthur and Veronica in Somniohm, they told me that they wanted Mimi to stay with us because that's where she'll be the safest. I plan on honoring her parents' wishes by keeping her close. She's looked out for me multiple times, so it's only right for me to look after her as well. "

Tom looks at you as if he's admiring your compassion for a moment while he contemplates what you said. You look back down to see Mimi nervously waiting in anticipation of Tom's judgment as the room sits silently in suspense, then Tom finally makes up his mind and responds.

" Okay, sure. Mimi can come with us, but once we arrive at Voldoor, she's not going into the city with us. She'll have to wait for us in the cruiser. "

" YAY!!! YOU'RE THE BEST, TOM!! "

Mimi exclaims as she jumps up and hugs Tom tightly. Tom looks down at her with kind eyes, then glances back up at you with a serious stare to speak to you telepathically.

" I only agreed because she still has Faerah's blessing. Where we're going isn't a place for children, Donny. I do understand the sentiment of you wanting to keep her safe though. The Valghuli want to get to you in any way they can, so leaving her here may create more problems for us than if we were to have her along. "

You nod at Tom with a soft smile and respond to him telepathically.

" Thank you. "

Seeing that you and Tom have come to a decision that he doesn't agree with, Roary interjects with a remark.

" So we're bringing a little girl with us to the worst place on Aria... What a genius idea, you guys. "

Tom then looks at Roary patiently and elaborates out loud in an effort to help Roary understand.

" We're bringing Mimi with us because me and Donny are really the only two people strong enough to fight the demons that wish to undo your verse's existence. Since Donny cares about her, that makes her a target for them. "

Roary scoffs in a skeptical manner before he responds to Tom with a rebuttal.

" Your enemies couldn't possibly be THAT strong. Like I said, with me by your side you'll have nothing to worry about. I'm Moriarch's strongest Champion, so I think I can handle an encounter with one of those demons just fine. Plus, the magical walls of Moriarch are impenetrable. With portals not working, there's no way that those demons could get into the kingdom even if they wanted to. If we leave Mimi here in Moriarch, we won't have to worry about her seeing something that she isn't supposed to and she'll be way safer. "