Interview

Kaiser was still giggling to himself as Colleen's parents interviewed him over lunch. He sat on a wooden chair, opposite from Colleen's parents on the round, wooden table…and beside him, awkwardly, sat Colleen. All throughout lunch, she tirelessly maintained a polite but faked smile, her face muscles gone stiff from such torture. Well, no one seemed to notice, though, not even Kaiser.

The way Colleen encouraged him inside earlier left him flabbergasted. The angelic voice that sang his name sounded almost foreign. It was as if a spirit possessed the hot-headed woman that he knew her as, the Colleen who would shout as loud as a horn, making his ears bleed with the slightest irritation and provocation.

Her warm expressions and gentle, kind personality…he couldn't get used to it at all. She even pulled out the chair for him to sit when he came in. What the hell was going on? Was this the Colleen he always knew? Was she this friendly all this time? …which Colleen was the real Colleen?

Kaiser's train of thought was cut off when Cole Valanar, Colleen's father, suddenly called his name. "Kaiser, you said your last name was Dyingstar?" he asked curiously, stroking his short, graying beard as he stared off into the distance, trying to recall something zealously.

He instantly straightened up to attention in his seat. "Yes, Sir Cole! I'm a proud member of the Dyingstar family. Although I came from a branch lineage, my warrior ancestors taught me everything they knew; producing quality dragon-slayers to aid the main lineage is the branch family's main objective! Our tribe's representatives in the council are both my cousins!" he proudly explained, easily impressing Cole and Marilyn Valanar.

Colleen went silent as she listened to them. Yvonne and Quintel Dyingstar, Earth Tribe's officials in Lunargard Council, were both suspects in her eyes. If she remembered correctly, they were not close with Winter and Blake, unlike the Hastamvidé siblings of the Storm Tribe. Perhaps it was because, in terms of power, the Earth Tribe came second in Lunargard, which lead to the development of a rivalry between it and the Ember Tribe. It's been so ever since the founding of the faction, assembled through the four tribes' alliance and agreement to rule everyone fairly.

Her grip around the spoon in her right hand tightened, trembling ever-so-slightly as she suppressed her feelings. Maybe letting Kaiser in her home wasn't completely pointless after all. So many things happened during the expedition that she almost missed the opportunity to investigate their tribe's representatives through Kaiser. If she were to ever find out that the two were in any way related to Blake's death…

'Damn it,' Colleen cursed inside her head as she could feel herself getting worked up. 'Hold it in…'

"I see… the Dyingstar family ruled our tribe for quite some time now," Cole began, but his tone turned solemn as he was suddenly side-tracked. "Blaze, Colleen's best friend, is extremely reliable and responsible as the only daughter of Batarak Estereon. Her older brother and the other representative of their tribe must be exceptionally capable people to steal the spot from Blaze… It pains me to imagine what happened to Ember Tribe."

Marilyn quickly moved to console her husband, gently rubbing his back. Although their family status was nowhere near the point where they could have ties with such a prestigious family, Blaze's close relationship with Colleen gave way to Cole and Batarak's friendship, a friendship that they nurtured together over many years.

Colleen stood up to pat her father as well, her lips pressed together in a thin, grim line. More than anyone else, her father was the most emotional when it came to telling others how great of a person Batarak was. People might not have seen Batarak and Cole together often, but Colleen could tell how proud her father was just to become friends with Blaze's father, the person others called the King of the Wilderness!

Batarak played a vital role in Colleen's life too. If not for him and his convincing, her father might've never agreed for her to become a dragon-slayer, for it was a dangerous path for simple civilians like them to take, simple citizens that could neither afford nor had the luxury to compete in high levels.

"W- well, I- I believe the Ember Tribe didn't completely fall," Kaiser commented as he fidgeted with his hands under the table. "All the surviving members became thirsty after they lost their home, their king, their territory. They've become hungry beasts that won't stop until they take back what's theirs. Sir Cole, I heard all survivors of the Ember Tribe enrolled in the dragon-slaying academy right after they got back on their feet. Every single one of them."

The sides of Colleen's lips turned up, surprised and happy hearing such news. As expected of the perverted nerd of their batch, he still had some good aspects in him after all… His analogy now was worthy of praise as well. Even after tragedy, Ember Tribe will not fall easily, not now, not ever.

Cole brightened just a bit. "Is that so?" he queried, a hint of hope lighting at the edge of his voice. "As expected of Batarak's tribesmen!" He turned to his wife and grasped her hands. "Honey, can we pay them a visit now? It's our time to give back for all of the kindness Batarak had shown us. We must personally go there and offer our help in any way it is needed!"

Marilyn smiled upon seeing her husband's enthusiasm. "Of course, honey. I'm ready when you are."

~

After Cole downed the rest of his meal, the Valanar couple immediately prepared to visit the Ember Tribe survivors.

"Wait! You're really going to leave right now?" Colleen worriedly asked, blocking her father's way to the door.

"What, do you have a problem with me visiting my friend's tribesmen?" Cole asked in return, his face crumpling in disappointment.

Colleen immediately recoiled in indignity. "What?! No, but-!" She paused, hesitating as she glanced over her shoulder at Kaiser, who still sat in the kitchen, making strange gestures with his arms to her father.

"Ah, is that what you're talking about?" Cole's face lifted in realization. "Kaiser, how about you take care of our daughter while we're away?"

For real? Kaiser was dumbfounded, blinking owlishly as he slowly nodded in response. Did Cole really just tell him to take care of Colleen? He didn't hear wrong, did he? Was that a father's way of telling him he accepted him? He thought they'd be asking him to leave, but instead, he received a fascinating task. He pinched his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He and Colleen…alone?

Cole grinned. "Alrighty, then! Enjoy your time with your guest, daughter. We might take a while, so don't wait for us and have dinner with Kaiser when it's time." And just like that, Cole and Marilyn left without a word, shutting the door behind them with a click.

Oh, hell no. Colleen had seen it coming, but in the end, she couldn't prevent it from happening. Her eyes shouted for help, but her father was completely oblivious, not even giving Colleen a glance before he left. Oh, how can things be any worse?

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't feel awkward with Kaiser. But now, especially in their current situation, her knees couldn't help but weakened as she slowly turned around to face the man in her home in trepidation. After what happened in the dungeon, what woman in their right mind would want to see the guy who took advantage of her at death's door?

She knew well she didn't.

And when she finally looked up, Kaiser was already right in front of her, staring down at her with lustful eyes.