Diner reunion

You walk a very familiar path through the park towards the diner. Kali draws a lot more attention than the other girls have recently, probably due to her large white wings. Kali looked a bit nervous as you walked, and you take her hand gently. She looks down at your hands, then back to you.

“Sorry, is this too much? I’m trying to calm you down.”

“N-no, it’s fine...I’ve never held h-hands before...”

“Kali, you don’t need to be nervous. Daisy is...almost like an adopted mother for me at this point.”

She looks at you, concerned. “But, didn’t I have her son and his girls kidnapped? What if she hates me? What do I do?”

“I don’t think that will happen, but if it does, then we accept it, you apologize, and we move on. This is part of growing, accepting that you made mistakes, even huge mistakes. We learn from it, and it makes us better people.”

Kali nods, looking down in thought as you approach the diner. Unsurprisingly, as soon as you enter, there is a happy shout.

“Josh! It’s about time you paid old Daisy a visit! Come sit down over here!”

You lead Kali over to a table where Daisy pulls up a chair and sits across from you. She smiles, looking at Kali curiously.

“So, another new girl, Josh? Who is this now?”

“Before I answer that, how is Ethan? And Denise? She must be almost ready to give birth by now!”

“Oh he’s great! Terrified for Denise, of course. They’re having a little girl any day now. Never would have thought my first granddaughter would be a lamia, but if she’s anything like Denise, she’ll be a treasure! But no more distracting me, Josh, introduce me to your new girl!”

You nod and take a deep breath. “Daisy, do you remember being told about Kali?”

Daisy nods, furrowing her brow. “Demon lady, right? The one who kidnapped Ethan and his girls. I remember, yes, why?”

Kali looks down, nervously toying with the silverware on the table. You gesture towards her. “I’d like you to meet Kali.”

“What? This is...but she doesn’t look like what she was described like. She looks...like an angel. Even her skin is a different color!”

You nod, and over the next several minutes explain what happened, including Kali’s history. You also explain what is going on with her now. When you’re finished, Daisy gets up, walks around the table, and hugs the very surprised Lilim.

“You poor thing, you never had a chance! I’m so glad you made the right decision. Josh will guide you on the right path, for sure.”

Kali is stunned, and when Daisy releases her and sits back down, she sputters, “B-but how? How can you forgive me so easily? After what I did, w-what I tried to do?”

Daisy reaches out and rests a hand on Kali’s arm. “Because Josh wouldn’t put his trust in you if you weren’t worth it. Everyone deserves a chance, darling.” She leans forward and puts a little menace in her voice. “And if you hurt this young man you and I will have a much less pleasant chat, young lady!”

You laugh, and Daisy winks. Kali laughs nervously, but looks visibly relieved.

“Now, back to interrogating Josh. When are you going to give one of those girls a baby? You know any one of them would make an amazing mother!”

Kali gasps and covers her mouth with her hand to stop from giggling. You groan and bury your face in your hands. It was going to be a long and embarrassing visit.