ROLEPLAY

And he had appeared, in his black and purple armor, as usual in a discreet, educated and polite manner. He greeted the two fyrettes. Quickly realizing that he hadn't arrived at the right time, he nevertheless detected that gleam in Eeri's eyes, the gleam that begged him to stay.

He sat down. The name of the youngest daughter's father would have to wait. At least she'd learn that he was a Fyros warrior, someone Eeri held in the highest regard. He wasn't Jo the bum, far from it. But she'd have to wait to find out more.

He ordered shooki, knowing he couldn't go wrong with it. The youngest fetched some capryni milk and began pouring it into her mug, under Eeri's incensed gaze. A whole new education," said the second. You should have been there," said the first.

He didn't seem to react to these demonstrations of love between mother and daughter. Feelings don't do any good.

He asked for news of the trip. He'd already read the diary the two fyros had written and published, but was eager to know more about what hadn't been written. Among other things, how she had really fared in the citadel, the reason for her miraculous escape. Why they had accepted Azazor and not Eeri.

He saw for himself the state of his former apprentice, and listened with interest to what she told him about her rescue by the members of the Karavan over there. A Karavan unable to repair their bodies and seeds of life so damaged by hours of agony.

He smiled. This was something that rarely happened to him. He smiled when she asked if he could try something. His years of work on the seed of life, his experience treating homins damaged by goo, could well lead to a result.

He accepted, at first showing a facade of reluctance to mask both his pride and an uncertainty he would never admit to.

He also eyed the younger woman warily. Was she going to do everything in her power to prevent him from carrying out an attempt to restore the use of his arm to his former apprentice? A hominin offering herself as a guinea pig, with the aim of advancing science, a rare, dreamed-of opportunity.

He explained that such an attempt would be painful and time-consuming, requiring several months of preparation and experimentation before it could be carried out successfully. The closer he would have to get to the hominin seed of life, the riskier the operation.

He sighed. Clearly, if he was going to treat the mother, he'd have to deal with the daughter, who wouldn't forgive him the slightest mistake. Then, inwardly trying not to let on, he shrugged. If advancing science could never be done without some sort of threat, then so be it. It wouldn't change his daily life.