ALL WILL BE WELL

“You really should stop telling people you are a Jarro,” Astrid grumbles to Shiraki.

Emon frowns at the door. “That’s the third time someone’s shut their door in our faces when you say—“

He is interrupted by Wyn grabbing the door, and opening it, stepping inside.

“Wait here,” he rumbles to the three of them, before turning and calling out to a clearly terrified innkeeper.

“…why is it you insist on disclosing such things?” Astrid asks Shiraki as the innkeeper tries to argue with Wyn inside. “You do not have to link yourselves to your parents, you know.”

“Parent,” Shiraki corrects her. “My mother was forced into being my mom and tried her best to raise me, my father is the asshole.”

“Either way,” Astrid huffs, “all it seems to bring us is trouble once people find out you’re tiger royalty. You don’t even act like a princess, so why go around essentially proclaiming yourself as one?”

“They’d find out eventually,” Shiraki says. “Best they know up front. Gets all the baggage out in the open.”

“…but you’re nothing like the stories of your father,” Emon says. “Besides, half of those are propaganda, no?”

“Those are toned down, actually, if anything,” Shiraki notes.

“Good goddess,” Astrid mutters.

“…why do you still carry their name?” Emon asks. “With what little you’ve said about them, I’d expect you to reject them entirely.”

“If I knew my mother’s family name, I might have taken it on, but I don’t, and even then, I was still largely raised by the palace, despite her best efforts,” Shiraki points out. “My parentage still informed who I am, even if it’s mostly in reaction to it. And I don’t want to reject Shoko or Jin. They’re…mostly good. Shoko is at least trying.”

“…your family sounds complicated,” Emon says quietly.

“Her family sounds fucking insane,” Astrid says.

Shiraki shrugs. “I don’t get to choose them. But I do get to choose to not be around them. You guys are better company, anyways.”

Wyn emerges from the inn and beckons everyone else inside. “Come. The innkeeper has seen reason, and been given coin. We have rooms for the night.”