Home, Bitter Home.

"Do I want to ask what happened in there?" Etriyya questioned him as soon as John and Sophia had stepped free of the cell block.

"Only if you want to be lied to. Wouldn't want to interfere with your oaths," John said, half-honestly and half-bitterly. There was very little catharsis in what he had done, and though there was a vindictive satisfaction in finally delivering judgment upon one of the last outliers of his vengeance, it did not bring calm, peace, or happiness. Only a grim satisfaction that some measure of order and justice had been restored to the world, that a karmic balance continued to turn the inevitable hands of fate.

"Moira wasn't lying... you have changed,” Etriyya noted, quirking an eyebrow as she looked over John's stony face. “I'm seeing more of myself in you by the day.”

“I suppose I should be honored,” John said, meeting her gaze.

“No, you shouldn't. I hate myself,” Etriyya said, the last part nearly under her breath as she turned away. “I'll walk you to the front door, just in case any of our lovely guests are around and looking to pick a fight with the uncouth new recruit.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle myself... besides, she won't believe I'm a recruit for long if I do manage to return from this quest. It might help to rough up one or two of her guards on the way out, let her know what she's trifling with. Especially as I'm planning on interrupting her deal with Moira and keeping the Rose here in America.”

Etriyya stopped mid-step, casting her gaze back to John. She looked him over once, as if evaluating him for the first time.

“You don't seem particularly intimidated by the idea of taking down the guards of a woman Moira has turned to, however reluctantly, as a savior. Have you grown stronger, more confident, or simply more foolhardy since you last visited us, John?”

John narrowed his eyes at the question. Despite Etriyya's tone, it didn't seem particularly chiding. If anything, the older Knight seemed almost gleeful, something he hadn't expected amid the rest of her sarcastic and disbelieving remarks. The tone of her voice was reproachful, yet she almost seemed eager to see John walk up and deck one of the woman's guards.

“I wasn't planning on testing my mettle against any other branch of the Order,” John said apprehensively, “no matter how repugnant I might find their goals or the things they negotiate for... but you said it yourself – the Northern Ashes could threaten even the British branch of the Order. I seek a power strong enough to halt them in their tracks, perhaps even eradicate them. I won't allow myself to be cowed by an arrogant woman and her bodyguards. And if she is so willing to **** Moira's hand into sacrificing her chastity for the lives of her most loyal soldiers, I will not hesitate to face her myself if it comes to that.”

“Well said, Newman,” Etriyya said, a genuinely approving smirk crossing her face. “I still remember the meek little lad who still stank of vomit from his first kill... you've gained some real guts this last year, it seems. And a backbone to go with it.”

“If I'm going to keep my word, I'm going to have to stand against anything and everything. One day I'll be strong enough to wipe the Northern Ashes myself... for now, I'm going to find someone who can, and I'm not coming back unless I can drag her back with me,” John swore.

“Don't get yourself killed, John. You're a prick, but... we need you,” Etriyya warned as they arrived back at the front door of the manor. “You still have my number in your phone?”

“Thought about deleting it. Didn't think you'd ever pick it up even if I did call, but... yeah, I still have it.”

“If you... if you really do manage to pull this off somehow,” Etriyya said, “you're not going to do it with much time to spare. Call me, and I'll see what preparations we can make.”

“Planning on rolling out the red carpet for Himiko?” John asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Maybe I'm planning on getting as far away as possible until the dust – and the ice – clear. Do you even know anything about her, John? Besides what happened to you, and the fact you nearly died twice?”

“I know she's the best hope we've got, sad as it is,” John said. “What else matters?”

“It- a lot, I- how are you so eager to throw your life away, if you're still so determined to keep your word about changing the world?” Etriyya asked, though it sounded almost rhetorical as she followed it up with an amused chuckle before continuing.

“Hardly the point, I suppose. We don't know much about her ourselves. What little we do know is that she's pragmatic, nearly emotionless in her dealings with others. She is not careless with the lives of those who serve her, but she is not afraid to make sacrifices with the lives of others if it is to her overall gain. When you speak with her – if you speak with her – do not attempt to play to her moralities, or to insist that eradicating the Northern Ashes will somehow make the world a better place. She will care little for your ideals; she may even laugh at you for them. You'll need to find something she wants, John... and I would suggest it not be you.”

John said nothing. Etriyya must have learned something of Himiko's obsession with him, or at least inferred enough from John's encounters with her.

“I will offer what I must... but I am no one's pet,” John murmured. “Now, I should be going, before Moira or her new 'friend' show up to question why I've returned.”

“Take care, John. I'll do my best to keep this place together while you're gone.”

“I have faith in you, Etriyya,” John said, smiling. “You're a good Knight, and a better warrior. I'm sure you'd be a hell of a friend if I weren't such a prick.”

“At least you can admit it,” Etriyya said, offering John one last smile – this one almost genuine – as she slammed the door shut behind him as he walked outside with his creations.

“...Alright, let's move out,” John said immediately, striding out for the manor gates. The guards this time at least had the sense to open the gate without making him wait.

“John, are we really doing this?” Lerianna asked when they got free. “I like a good brawl as much as the next guy, but...”

“You are as free as ever to remain in our new world,” John said as they cleared the manor and stepped out onto the sidewalk again. John formed a Barrier around them so that they could walk in privacy across town, to another one of the relatively secluded places he could use to transition back to his world... hopefully unobserved. “I will not **** you to join me on this quest.”

“That's not what I meant,” Lerianna said, sighing in annoyance.

“Perhaps you should tell our Master what you really mean, then,” Shishun said, casually slithering alongside John. “It is not like you to object to one of his plans.”

“Yeah, but this plan reeks of desperation. I think you're in over your head,” Lerianna said, crossing her arms as she strode alongside John. “I know we've all been training really hard, but... are you sure we can handle this? These Northern Ashes, this Himiko you keep talking about – will we be okay? Do you really think we'll all walk away from this?”

“I...” John paused in his words, focusing on the feeling of his feet against the concrete for a moment. “...I haven't been sure about anyone walking away from anything in over a year now, Lerianna. I know you bear the same scars. I still have to do what is right.”

Lerianna said nothing, but the look on her face – the furrowed brows, the creases around her lips, even the way she tucked her head at his words... she had anticipated his response, but the words hurt all the same. No amount of time or compassion could remove the nightmares that had haunted her since that day.

“Lerianna... I wasn't offering to let you stay back because I think you're afraid,” John said. “I was offering it because I know how hard this last year has been for you. You went through more than any of us did. We all lost Seras... but you were the only one to watch it happen. If you want to-”

“Fuck that,” Lerianna said, loudly but not angrily. She averted her eyes from John as she continued to walk alongside him. “If you're going to get yourself into this shit, I'm coming with you. I fought back then and I'm fighting now. I just... are we really gonna risk all this for the Order? We haven't even seen them in over a year. We have the ultimate place to be safe from all this. We don't need to take this risk.”

“We don't need to,” John admitted, nodding. “But Moira took me in when I was a newcomer to the Abyss, sheltered me where others would have abused me or used me as a weapon. We haven't always seen perfectly eye to eye, but I'd be dead or worse without her here to help me. If we don't pay that back when we have the chance... it's just not an option.”

“Father's loyalty to his friends is nearly as strong as to his family,” Sophia said. “We can only hope to be worthy of serving a man so honorable.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” John smirked. They continued in silence for the rest of the way – their journey wasn't far, since John was no longer so concerned about maintaining distance from the Order during his trips between worlds. He just wanted to get them enough privacy to transfer back so they could begin planning their route, so he settled for the nearest alley with a concealed view from the road.

The sound of hissing greeted John the moment that his new world formed around them. John could hear it loudly from two different directions, and for a moment his adrenaline began to surge – until he realized the cause of the commotion was the very woman he'd sent into his world. Lady Arista was kneeling on the grass nearby, a look of internal pain on her face as she motionlessly watched the two circling Nekos. Maera and Mithra both looked intensely angry, more than John could ever remember seeing in the mostly whimsical catgirls. Vallya hovered nearby, keeping an eye on the situation but very much not involved.

“You're back!” Vallya said when she noticed their arrival. “You've been missing the show.”

“I can see that,” John noted.

“Your instructions for them to obey any order, and the natural curiosity of the Nekos, meant Arista had to explain who she was and why she was here pretty quickly after I arrived. The Nekos did not take the news kindly.”

“Nor should they have,” John replied immediately. He walked up to Arista and planted his foot on her back, shoving her forward until she fell face-first onto the ground. “Maera, Mithra... I need this woman alive.”

“Myaster, she hurt Seras! Vallya wouldn't let us cut her up,” Maera hissed. She had even gone so far as to put on her armor, and considering how much the Neko hated being restricted, she must have really been itching for a fight.

“She's going to help us first,” John said, striding past the fallen woman and leaning down to gently rub his hands over Mithra's cheeks and through her long hair. Mithra stopped hissing, but didn't take her eyes off the fallen mercenary lord. “When we've finished our mission, you can do whatever you want with her.”

“What shall we do for now, Father?” Sophia asked, walking up beside him with her arms crossed dutifully.

“Well, we're going to have to start planning this trip soon. We'll leave before the end of the day, we can't afford any idle time... but...”

John glanced to Arista, whose face still twitched with a visible layer of disgust. But she was avoiding John's gaze, and she still seemed too proud to cry.

“I need some time to process all this,” John admitted. “I want to make sure my head is in the right place when we set out. We can't afford any mistakes on this trip. I need to deal with today's stress.”

“Shall I come with you, Father?” Sophia asked.

“...Yes. Vallya, would you mind accompanying me as well?” John asked, quirking his eyebrow at the unpredictable Kitsune.

“A Guardian is always ready to lend a helping hand,” Vallya said, giggling at her own joke.

“Lerianna, watch over her and the Nekos. If she somehow tries to defy the collar or remove it, break every bone in her body.”

“Now that's a decision I can get behind,” Lerianna agreed. Her legs visibly tensed at the thought as she watched the fallen mercenary lord squirming on the ground.

“Alright, let's go,” John said, reaching out and lacing his fingers through Sophia and Vallya's hands. “I don't want to be around her any longer than I have to.”

“Don't worry, Master,” Vallya said, grinning.