This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Seeing that he likely needed some time alone, Serena left not long after.

Kain sat in his office for a seemingly endless amount of time—potentially an entire day had passed, maybe even more. Time he'd spent internally wrestling with what to do next.

He sat alone in the dark, only with the faint light coming from the hallway streaming in through the edges of the closed door, with his arms folded, jaw clenched.

The photo of Airalai—his long-lost sister—was clutched in his hand. He'd promised Bridge and the others that they were all family, heck, they even all took on the same last name. He'd promised that he would protect the orphanage family, but now he was wrestling with the fact… does Airalai count? What if her existence brought more danger to the family?

Moreover, should he tell the others about her? Definitely not the youngest ones; they didn't even know her. The director also likely shouldn't be told…the thought that she may have been with such a cruel group for years would torture him emotionally. But Bridge…by far, Bridge and 'Air' were the closest until Kain's arrival, and even after his arrival they had a special bond. He knew that Bridge would tear down mountains to find her. He couldn't let that happen.

He paced the small room, the polished obsidian floor cool beneath his boots. 'Tell Bridge', he thought, 'he deserves to know.'

Yet as the words formed, he felt dread curl in his gut. Bridge would insist on going to her, endangering himself and jeopardizing his ability to investigate that organization's plans. Better Bridge remain ignorant—for now.

With a decisive shake of his head, Kain tucked the photo into his coat and drew a slow breath. 'I'll spare him this pain—at least until I have answers.'

He got up and headed down to the training facilities in the basement. He knew he'd promised to give Darius and the others time to grow accustomed to their new contracts, but they could practice in the field instead…it'd probably even help accelerate their adaptation, right?

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When he arrived, they seemed to be taking a break.

They sat in a rough circle, half in conversation, half just relaxing after days of recovery and spiritual adjustment. Miya was fiddling with her new contract's three tails. Lira was laid back on the grass with a wet cloth across her face, and a creature resembling a faun was sending a cooling mist in her direction. Garret, quiet as usual, was flipping through the pages of a small book for teenagers who had newly awakened on how to care for their contract. Jax was teasing the nearby Gogo out of boredom, while the poor goat let out bleats of distress and irritation. Surprisingly, Malzahir was also amongst them, chatting curiously with Darius.

'Perfect, they're all already together.' The group looked exhausted, but there was an undeniable air of enthusiasm around them.

Kain approached slowly, his presence quiet but noticeable. Darius looked up first and straightened his posture. A ripple went through the rest of the group as they turned toward him.

"Mind if I interrupt?"

Darius shook his head. "Always welcome, boss."

Kain exhaled, then said, "I want to start by saying sorry."

That drew immediate attention. The lying down, clearly exhausted, Lira even sat up tremblingly.

"I know I said I'd give you more time to rest. You're still adjusting to your new contracts, and I meant to give you a few more weeks at least before assigning anything. But—" his jaw tightened slightly, "—something's come up."

The group's tense shoulders relaxed upon hearing that it was just the notification of a mission.

"You don't even have to explain," Lira said with a lazy wave. "This is our job. With what you've given us we'd feel more anxious not being assigned a mission."

"That may be true," Kain said, "but I still feel like I'm pushing too much too fast on you all."

There was a pause.

Then Garret chuckled softly. "Well… I trust that if you're breaking your own rule, it's something serious."

Kain nodded. "It is." The atmosphere grew more serious at this confirmation.

He took out a space ring and handed over, instructing Darius on how to bind to it. He couldn't have them continue carrying all of their stuff around by hand. He made sure to give them one of the highest quality ones on the market, and also handed over the much cheaper one from the Black Vine worker Donis that they could distribute as they saw fit.

He'd already packed both rings with necessities—the least he could do considering what he was sending them off to do so soon after Awakening. Most of their contracts were still white-grade for crying out loud!

He then took out the picture of who he was pretty sure was Airalai—or at least a copy of it since he was keeping the original—and handed it over. "Find and investigate her."

The group got strangely quiet as they looked at the photo, and their expressions became equally strange as they looked at him.

Miya mumbled quietly but everyone could hear—likely she hasn't grown accustomed to gauging the enhanced senses that beast-tamers have. "Our first mission is him sending us to help him pick up a date?"

Lira sat up, squinting at the photo. "You want us to help you… court her?"

Jax leaned forward and let out a low whistle at the picture, "Can't say I blame you…"

Darius looked troubled by the group's antics and tried to help Kain save face. "Be quiet! I'm sure this is a rescue mission…right?" He looked at Kain hopefully.

The other four exchanged smirks. "Aaaahhh….a 'rescue mission'," Jax said while giving a wink.

Malzahir, on the other hand, was not joking with the others. He was looking at Kain in disappointment: *" Miss Serena is… a rare oasis in the sands. Kind. Nurturing."* He glanced at the others still snickering. *"Chasing some distant, rare desert rose might feel thrilling, but it's the spring at your feet that you truly need. Don't forsake that."*

"I am not—Serena and I are not—!" Kain was so overwhelmed by the multiple misunderstandings that his tongue felt as though it was in knots.

'Just what do you lot think of me?!' he thought, massaging his temples as a headache bloomed