In her rush to get to Frazer’s house, Dandelion never realized that she was smiling just thinking about their reunion. A year has passed since they’d last met, and finally she could hug him again. Or so she thought, for the moment she reached his house, her expression dropped to the voice of Frazer’s mother yelling inside their house. The same went for the man’s sister, she too was upset about something, but exactly what? The elf couldn’t hear that properly.
"Jess? Are you there?" Knocking on the door, she stood quietly with her hands folded by her hips.
The voices died down to the knocks, and before long a pair of footsteps were getting closer and closer to the front door. Taking a step back, Dandy tried to hide her smile but it truly died when Frazer’s sister Jess opened the door with anger clearly visible on her face.
"Dandy? What are you doing here?" She asked, her gentle tone betraying her expression.
"I heard Frazer was back–"
"Ohh...Of course, come in I guess," Jess interjected, her face turning sour.
A bit taken aback, Dandy blinked to herself and just stared at the girl opening the door to invite her indoors. She’s never talked to her this way, but ever since her arrival, it had become abundantly clear that everybody was upset for some reason.
"Thanks." Walking inside the dusty, old house, Dandy was hit with a gust of nostalgia. She remembered long ago, entering this place for the last time. Long before Frazer had left the kingdom for his adventures and yet the place hadn’t changed one bit.
Feeling Jess’s hand on her side, she turned her head towards her. Heaving a sigh, Jess shook her head and forced a smile onto her lips.
"I know I know, we need to fix everything. If only my brother would have the decency to share some of his gold."
Shrugging her shoulders, Jess looked around her crumbling home.
"Does it look like he does?" Following her gaze, Dandy glanced at the place again. And this time, unlike the last, she noticed more than just nostalgia. Broken roof tiles with sunlight bleeding in, walls with the paints cracked and small holes due to the material falling off from old age. "Yeah...this place definitely needs some work."
"JESS! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE?! DIDN’T I TELL YOU BRING ME SOMETHING TO DRINK YOU MORON?!" Startled by the screaming voice, Dandy jumped like a scared kitten, all the while Jess scoffed to herself and began charging towards the kitchen.
"Show yourself to the living room, Dandy–I gotta go make tea for my bastard brother," she said before disappearing.
’She never called him a bastard before.’ Turning her head towards the living room, Dandy pondered what in the hells changed. ’What did he do exactly?’
Walking over to the living room however, all doubts were put to rest as four monster girls were cluttering the room with Frazer on the couch and his mother standing across from him behind a chair. Her eyes scanned through the girls first as her heart was pounding from their proximity. Unlike the few demi-humans in the kingdom, these girls were no demi but rather pure blooded monsters, much closer to a beastman and yet carrying the slightest inkling of human features. At least enough to give them humanoid faces.
"Dandelion...oh thank god you’re here!" Miss Holly exclaimed while making her way towards Dandy. Grabbing the girl by the arms, she squeezed them tight and pulled her closer. "Knock some sense into my son, would you? He’s been fighting with us all day, I mean where are we supposed to go if he doesn’t help us with our living situation?"
"Frazer? What’s going on?" Though her hands were clenched by Holly, Dandy’s gaze never left Frazer. "What is your mom talking about? And–"
Freeing her hands from his mother, Dandy tried to get closer to him but with a swift motion the bear girl and the humanoid spirit moved in front of her to block the path. With furrowed brows she glared at them for a moment before turning into glistering mist and breezing past that barrier and standing in front of Frazer lying on the couch. His head laid in Dryad’s lap, her delicate fingers running across his face and healing him with what seemed to be some sort of sap leaking from her fingers.
"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?" Dandy asked, ignoring the dryad.
Keeping his eyes closed, however, Frazer didn’t breathe a word of response. Simply waving his hand as if to shoo her away like a dog, he continued with his nap utterly unbothered by the chaos caused by his presence.
"See what I mean?! He’s been acting like we’re not even there unless he needs something!" Through gritted teeth, Holly screamed and rushed around the other girls to stand beside Dandy. A bit surprised that the elf had already slipped through from between them, neither Kumi nor Gina tried anything to stop Frazer’s mom.
"We need something from you!" Leaning forward with her hands crossed on her chest, Holly tried to draw at least some sympathy from her son. "How long are we gonna live , Frazer? You promised that you’ll help me and your sisters once you make it big and how much bigger do you think you’re gonna make it before you start repaying us for buying your equipment! Hell, at least give me something for raising you! Do you have any idea how hard it is to survive within this wall or to find a job or any amount of work for god’s sake!"
"Don’t..." Opening his eyes, Frazer looked at his mother’s face. "Don’t you dare put this on Asmareth, what little you do have is because of him and now you wanna complain when I won’t give you free stuff even though you were never came to help me when I was fucking dying in that desert!"
Getting off of Muena’s lap, the hero turned his head to his childhood friend.
"And you, why the hell are you here? A year passed and you never came looking for me, so before you act all surprised that I don’t give a shit about either of you, answer me. Where were you when I was dying in that damned place, HUH?!"
His sudden scream sent the two stumbling a few steps back. Their heart raced to the threat in his voice and had it not been for the sound of clattering cups being brought by Frazer’s sisters, it would’ve lasted a lot longer.
"Fuck you, prick..." Jess cursed before placing the tea tray on the table in front of the couch.
Looking her brother in the eye without getting up, she whispered.
"I wish you’d just died instead of coming back."
"WHAT?!" Quickly straightening herself, the girl turned around to face her mother. "WHAT?!"
Shocked that even her daughter was talking back to her, Holly covered her mouth and as tears formed, she rushed out of the room with the sound of her sobs echoing in the now quiet room. Left in that silence, Dandy turned her head to Frazer yet again. Grabbing the cup, he held it towards Muena who then poured something from her finger into the drink.
"You’ve changed, Frazer..."
"Just fuck off, will you?" He responded without pause.
Having nothing else to say, Dandy wondered for a moment if this truly was the man that she fell in love with. The answer was simple and so, without wasting too much of her time, the merchant told his family to pack their bags and to come live with her on top of her shop. Although reluctant at first, the house was no longer a place they could stay for long, and thus with heavy hearts, the women left the place in which they’d spent most of their lives. But the visits that house would have that day, weren’t yet over. For someone has been waiting for a chance to talk to Frazer alone and with everyone else gone, they moved with a devious plan that would help the hero create even more chaos.