The One Knight Stand

.: Rich Reunions :.

07 | Rich Reunions

She never thought she'd see home again.

But there it was.

Rickety and old and red and barely hanging on.

The wortled lion statue marking the beginning of their land purred through cement like a familiar housecat.

She never thought she'd miss the sight of the fucking disaster that was the Sanlanh property.

Violet, reading philosophy on the front stoop, looked up as her sister approached.

"Blue!" She shrieked, bookmarking her page and bum rushing the haggard thief. 

"Oh my God! We were so worried! We saw that woman take you down from the stands seconds before your hands were chopped off! The village has been gossiping about it nonstop since it happened. Where'd she take you? What'd they want? What a way to kick off the festival, huh? Are you alright? Where have you been?"

Before Blue could get a word out the front door slammed open and out stormed the entire goddamn rainbow coalition: Red, Saffron, and Sienna charged the young woman like a herd of bison, nearly taking her off her feet with the force of their hugs.

"Blue! Blue, we missed you!" Sienna wailed right into Blue's goddamn ear as if screaming was going to make things better. "Blue, we thought you were gonna die!"

"Sienna, I'm fine." The swordsman tiredly returned their embraces. "All in one piece."

She nearly forgot the power of touch down in the dungeon. 

Sensation to her was like water to trout or entropy to the universe. 

She was incomplete, couldn't survive without it.

Near tears, Saffron's voice was muffled by Blue's ill fitting tunic.

"What was that, sis?"

Saffron lifted her cute, brown face up to her older sister, and Blue realized she was crying. "I'm just happy you're back."

Stripped of her uncaring demeanor, Blue tugged them back into a fierce hug, trying to forget how close she came to losing this.

This right here.

What mattered.

Crimson hair glinting in the afternoon sun, Red lent his sister a fond look. "Welcome back, kid."

"I'm not a kid. I stopped being kid as soon as Indigo came screaming out of Mom."

"Mhm. Sure." 

Red ruffled Blue's hair and earned himself a solid punch in the solar plexus for his brotherly efforts.

"Missed your sarcasm around here, but I can't say I missed the jabs."

Blue devilishly swung her arm in its socket like a ball player. "There's more where that came from. I got a lot of licks to make up for being down in the jailhouse."

Sienna and Saffron clung to Blue's legs, afraid she would be stolen away from them again, and the young woman arduously walked up the front steps with her sisters in tow.

Violet went to finishing the wholesome dinner Red started, muttering about better ingredients now that Blue was back.

"You don't have to go through the trouble for me," Blue assured, and Violet waved her away like a gnat.