Camping out in the fields of the south was an exciting experience. They all would sit around the fire, look up at the stars and share stories. There was also the toasting of marshmallows, which of course gave Lark ‘a great idea’. They could play ‘chubby bunny’.

              Sparrow and Robin: No.

              Lark: Aw come on guys! It will be a lot of fun!

              Sparrow: Yeah, for you maybe.

              Robin: Lark, have you forgotten how badly this ended last time?

              Portia: Okay now I have to know what Chubby Bunny is!

              Lark explains that the game is simple: Two people take turns putting a marshmallow into their mouth and then saying the words ‘chubby bunny’. If the player can’t say the words in a clear enough voice, then they are out.

              Lark: I am current reigning champion *grins*

              Sparrow: And I was the reigning champion of getting very sick after all that fluff! I still barely look at one without being ill.

              Robin: As the person who had to take care of her, I concur. I am out.

              Portia: Well, I think it sounds like fun!

              Julian: As do I, though I think as a medical professional it’s not a good idea to over do it on anything, especially sugar.

              Lark: *Cocking eyebrow* Or salty bitters.

              Julian: That was in the name of saving the city, though I confess I too have not been able to look at one without being ill.

              Muriel sits out as he’s not too big into sugar and Volta wishes to play but she only ends up eating the marshmallows instead. Lark gives her a bag of her own which she happily munches on. With Robin and Sparrow sitting out, the contestants are Asra, Nadia, Julian, Portia, and Lark.  Julian goes against his sister but looses when he nearly chokes on one accidentally. Asra and Lark face off, but Lark pulls though when Asra concedes (he could have won but figures it’s more fun to watch the games). Lark goes against Portia next and manages to win again though it’s a close one. It comes down to Lark and Nadia, who actually hadn’t gone yet.

              Surprisingly it’s a pretty heated battle with both contestants filling their mouths to near bursting with the fluffy white. But amazingly Nadia wins, with a clear pronunciation of the famous words.

              Lark: *Taking deep breaths after expelling all the marshmallows* Wow, Nadia…that was…amazing…How were you able to do that?

              Nadia: It’s simple my dear Lark, as a child I was forced into many an hour of dictation class. I was made to study language and speech, and often times my tutors would bring something to hold in my mouth so I could work on my pronunciation-

              Lark: Wait, don’t tell me they would use-

“Fudge!”

              Asra stopped almost instantly. He had just been gathering some things knowing that he would soon have to leave again and then, just as he was coming down the stairs, he heard the sound of Robin’s voice, and he froze. It wasn’t so much the word that Robin spoke, especially given that Asra found Robin’s inability to actually curse rather endearing. It was the tone that made Asra’s heart begin to race. It was not a tone he was used to hearing come Robin. Even before…well, the before, Robin rarely was angry, or at least to the point of allowing it to show outside. He had always been gentle and good-natured. How ever at that moment, looking into Robin’s face Asra could only see the down turned eyebrows, the gritted teeth, and…Asra’s mind was instantly taken back to the only time he had ever seen Robin angry. It felt so long ago and yet so clear in his mind.

              They had both said things they didn’t mean.

              “We lost our home once and you are expecting us to just leave this one?”

              Asra’s heart began to pound as his eyes grew wide. Up until then they had never had a fight like that before. Asra could still feel the sting of the words as they came back to him.

              “Go then, runaway! It’s what you do best isn’t it?”

              It’s what you do best isn’t it?

              Isn’t it?

              ISN’T IT?

              “Asra!”

              Asra jumped back to reality as he found Robin’s attention had turned to him any trace of rage gone. It took a moment for Asra to swallow past the lump that had formed in his throat. He couldn’t even think how long he might have been standing there.

              Robin took a step forward. “Are you o- “

              “I’m fine,” Arsa said quickly, doing his best to push down the sudden panic in favor for a look of calm control. It took a lot of focus which he knew he was going to pay for later, but he managed.

              Robin stepped back hesitantly. “Okay,” he said, still looking unsure, “I am sorry if I startled you or anything just now. I mean I was being rather loud and using some not so cool language.” He then let out a little laugh. “Though if Sparrow were here, I’m sure she’d say otherwise.”

              “Probably,” Asra agreed. Though the air was starting to ease, he couldn’t seem to shake the chill running through him, nor the thoughts in his mind. He needed to get out of there before he broke down. He put on his best smile as he gripped the strap of his bag. “I’m going away for a bit.”

              “Oh?” Robin asked, the hurt look returning to his eyes, “Do you know when you will be- “

              “Soon,” Asra assured, though it wasn’t like his usual assurances which would have tried to calm Robin’s hurt as best he could. His mind was a jumble, and it didn’t help that every moment he stood there it was getting worse. “I will be back soon. A few days at most. You will hardly know I was gone.” He knew that was a lie, Robin always noticed.

              Run away, it’s what you do best isn’t it?

              Asra moved quickly to the door, hoping to be beyond it before he lost control. He needed to leave, not be in this space anymore, not with all these memories- His thoughts stopped suddenly as he felt a hand grab his wrist. He was about to reach door, it was within his reach. But first he looked down and found Robin holding his wrist firmly. Asra turned in surprise to see Robin looking at him with both concern and a little bit of panic.

              “Sorry!” Robin said, quickly letting go and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I saw that you were upset, and I think I panicked. I mean, I panicked mostly because all I could think about was that you were clearly upset and I couldn’t let you leave upset and…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you.”

              Does he remember? Asra asked himself. Looking at Robin’s apologetic face now another memory came to him, this one a bit sadder.  

              “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of it. I said cruel things and I regretted them the minute you left. I wish I could take it all back and have you back with me.”

              It would be so easy to run away at that moment but at that moment Asra instead reached out a hand and touched Robin’s arm. “Thank you,” he said, smile coming easy now as tenseness faded leaving behind actual calm. “You are right, one should never leave upset nor angry, especially when one never knows if they can come back or not. I often forget that, but I am glad you have reminded me.” He felt a small surge of happiness as Robin blushed at his words.

              “Well, you are welcome,” Robin said, smiling a little, “and I am really sorry about before. I wasn’t angry I swear. I was more frustrated.”

              “Frustrated?”

              “Yeah, I was practicing that spell you were teaching us the other day. I was noticing how Lark and Sparrow caught on rather quickly and I wanted to practice a little and maybe show you my progress, but I was having trouble remembering some of the hand movements and I kept messing up, and then I lost my cool which as you know is not something I like to do. I am always telling Lark and Sparrow, there are better ways of dealing with being upset then losing your temper and snapping.” Robin blushed more as he realized what he just said. “Man, I just sounded like a dad, didn’t I?”

              Robin’s face was so sweet that Asra couldn’t help but laugh. It was a happy laugh as he felt the warmth come rushing back to him in only the way Robin could do. “Maybe a little,” Asra said, as his laughter calmed, “but I think it’s more that you sound like someone with his heart in the right place and I have liked that about you.” He gave Robin a gentle smile. “Now, it wouldn’t be right if I left you here frustrated over something I taught you, so I think a bit of a private tutoring lesson is in order don’t you agree?”

              Robin’s smile was brilliant. “Yes, I would like that.”

              And that night Asra didn’t runaway.

…

Author notes:

This takes place probably sometime before the game (probably early on as the relationship is still building). I imagine Robin doesn’t ever remember the fight that took place that night though he has apologized for it. He’s actually done this twice since before death, he came to Asra in a dream apologizing as he couldn’t leave the living world without saying goodbye. This sends Asra back to Vesuvia and starts the whole thing that brings about the story in the game.

I have also started thinking Robin might be a little softer in this life then his first, probably because he doesn’t remember what came before that forced him and his family to leave. He also has lost a great deal of his magic which is the reason he isn't as strong at this point.

Lark is like his brother where he doesn’t often lose his temper. It’s not so much that he doesn’t get angry though, more like he either lets it wash off him because he doesn’t care (like water off a duck’s back kind of thing) or he lets off his anger by pulling a prank or two. In recent years it’s been more the first but as a young man some bullies got some epic comeback.

Sparrow is probably the most likely member of the family to actually be in an argument given that she is the ‘Spirited ‘one and can hold her own in a fight. She has punched a man before (defending Lark) and is the person to most likely get physical if need be. She and Julian rarely fight (both too anxious to do so) though they have had disagreements about the Leeches and where they stay. Sparrow is also the queen if of ‘The Look’ which has ended many an argument.

              The magic shop had a back story all its own as well as a life to go with it.

              It was built to contain only two people, the old woman and her young charge. They were the first to put magic into the place, which in a sense brought it to life. To the unobservant person it would be just another shop, a building made of wood and stone, but to those who knew the truth, it was a living creature all its own. For years the magic flowed from the shop as runes were carved and protections put in place. Alongside those things of course were songs, warm food, and conversation which kept the shop happy as it felt its power growing. Then one night, with only one last look back, the young lady left, and things changed.

              It was a bitter and cold time. The old woman was the only occupant now, her old hard hundred-year-old magic made the floorboards creak and sag. Customers who filled the shop were no longer as frequent as they were scared off by her anger at the world that had left her alone. The shop felt a similar pain as it felt its life draining away. Could a magical place die? Did it die or just return to being a normal place again?

              One day a man arrived and with him three young faces. The shop recognized them almost immediately as belonging to the young woman from so long ago. Their magic was new and warm, though they were a little hesitant at first. But happy for any change, the shop welcomed them. It wasn’t easy at first, especially given the fact that in a shop built for two there was now double that amount. The bigger room was forced to fit there, a curtain separating the older from the younger for a time. But it didn’t really matter in the early months as the two younger had trouble sleeping and slept with their brother almost every night. The shop did its best to keep the creaking to a minimum so as to not spook the poor dears.

              Over the years the shop would come to learn their names as well as their magic. It loved all three of them, though she had a soft spot for Robin who was constantly trying to make the shop their home. Even when the old lady left, he was willing to fight for the failing shop, not wanting to give up and lose yet again. His magic replaced the old woman’s, giving it strength. Of course, he was not alone as the twins brought their own sparks. Sparrow filled the shop with song and tea, while Lark was laughter and smiling.

              Then there was the wandering magician, Asra.

              When he arrived, something clicked. The circle felt complete. The family was whole. Curiously Asra’s magic echoed that of Robin’s so it all just worked so well. Asra was a wonder, almost like an enhancement to the magic around him. The shop adopted him as well and welcomed him as he moved into the small room that once held the craggy witch. The shop took care of its children, protecting them and giving them shelter as they grew and changed. Those were happy years.

              Then came the plague and one by one the children disappeared. No one could hear the cry of anguish from the floor boards. The shop watched as one by one they left and never returned. Well, all except one. The wandering magician returned but he had changed. He no longer smiled like he used to. He tried but the shop knew. It knew very well the pain underneath. Even when he brought the doctor in, they would never go upstairs. No one was allowed upstairs, and no one was allowed in the big bedroom. Asra would sometimes stop there, hand hovering over the handle as if wanting to go in. But he would instead collapse with his back against the door and cry. The shop wished it had arms to hold him in those moments. It wondered if the pain would ever ease.

              And surprisingly it did, or rather…One night, the children returned. They did not walk through the door, they just appeared. Robin, Sparrow, and Lark returned and the whole shop instantly brightened. There was noise, confusion and shock, but over all there was magic in the shop again. It was the same, but different in a way. Something had changed clearly but the shop didn’t care. Its children had returned and there was life.

              Many things happened after that. There were new faces and old, a bit of drama, and then the city fell into chaos which the shop thankfully was not a part of because of its protections (never had it been so thankful for the old woman and her wards). Over time the shop watched the city become new, same with the people in it. The twins grew even more and soon they found their own spaces, though they were never far. Robin and Asra remained, keeping the magic flowing, though they didn’t remain as they once did. It became quiet. Not as quiet as before, but still quiet….

              But not really quiet.