The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Seventeen: Conquering Demons

The rest of the day went as well as Thepa expected. After Wilran left, she spent the next few minutes in silence trying to think of the words to say to her. It was hard given the situation. She was sure that whatever she could say regarding their friendship, Rory would have no memory of it, but at the same time, she was determined to do just about anything to seek Rory's forgiveness. It wasn't until the nurse came and checked her vitals did she finally conclude to start in the beginning.

"You know, when we first met, you took something from me," she said softly.

Rory blinked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "I'm... sorry?" she replied, unsure of herself. Her eyes drifted toward Thepa's beret. "Was I a bad person? Were you arresting me for a crime?"

Thepa smiled, lacing warmth into her voice. "No. We were in training. At the time, I was a little upset, but once I understood your motives, it was hard not to admire what you were doing."

Rory tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "Which was?"

Thepa shrugged. " "It was your way of saying hello. Strange, abrupt, maybe even a little rude, but exactly the right way to get through to me. Back then, I was too self-absorbed to notice anything subtle. Had you approached me any other way, I probably would've smiled politely and walked away."

Rory opened her mouth to respond, but then stopped, a puzzled look crossing her face. She ran her fingers through her auburn hair, staring at Thepa. "But you said I was your sister. No offense, but we look nothing alike."

The bluntness of the comment caught Thepa off guard, and she burst out laughing. Rory's confusion only deepened, but the laughter was a welcome relief from the heaviness of the day. After a moment, Thepa wiped tears from her eyes and composed herself.

"Leave it to you to lose all your memories, but still keep your cheek." Thepa said, grinning from ear to ear, or in her case, horn to horn.

Rory's lips curled into a small smile. "I'm glad I can still make you laugh."

Thepa looked back at Rory, her eyes softening with affection. "We're not blood, but we share the bonds of sisterhood. There is nothing stronger."

Rory's smile grew, a toothless grin that, while unfamiliar, still warmed Thepa's heart. It wasn't quite the Rory she remembered, but it was enough. It was enough to give her hope, enough to make her believe things could still get better. The two of them spent hours reminiscing, or rather, Thepa did most of the talking—sharing stories of their time together. Even if Rory didn't remember, she listened, and that was more than Thepa could have asked for.

At some point an attendant came in and brought the two of them dinner, but no one made her leave. Thepa felt slightly guilty by the gesture hoping the attendant's allowance had more to do with the way Rory was progressing in her presence, but truthfully, she knew it most likely had to do with her rank or outburst. When she had the chance, she'd apologize to those she had wronged, but for now, the steady rhythm of Rory's soft snores brought her a sense of peace.

She grabbed a spare blanket from the vanity, curled up on the floor, and closed her eyes, letting herself drift off with the hope that today was the start of something good.

But that peace was short-lived. Little did she know, she was in for a rude awakening. As soon as Thepa felt the last bits of consciousness slip away, she found herself in a well familiar dream.

Rory was in the process of moving items out of drawers. It was one of the few times that the two of them were actually in Rory's room, since she had arrived in Goldale to join Elite Team Zero. The majority of their time spent together was in Thepa's chamber as it was on the third level and had public resources that were available to both of them. However, Rory being the Saintian she was had chosen a room on the first level.